The King and Lionheart
by ThePhantomsFlutist
Summary: The Avengers lost the battle and Loki is quickly taking the world to its knees. Captured and tortured, Jane struggles to find the light within the darkness of the God of Mischief himself. Will she see behind the deceit and unlock the very heart of the man who ruined her life? Or will she succumb to his game of lies and helplessly watch the world burn? Not fluffy, somewhat AU
1. Prologue

The Avengers have lost the battle, and Loki is quickly taking the world as we know it to its knees. Captured by Loki, Jane struggles to find the light in darkness of the God of Mischief himself. Will she see behind the deceit and unlock the very heart of the man who has ruined her life and world or succumb to his game of lies and watch the Earth burn, instead?

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**Hey, guys! I'm kind of new to posting in this fandom, but I'm overly excited to be trying out this piece of fanfiction after almost two years of not posting anything on this site. This first bit is kind of a short introduction to where Jane began before my story takes place. I have never been one to enjoy the happy endings, so this is my version of what if the Avengers didn't have a happy ending? I'm extremely fascinated by the character of Loki and I simply wanted to try my hand on writing him and personifying him in the way he is meant to be, rather than super fluffy and adorable, even if that is more appealing to the Lokane shippers. I don't believe in fluff. Sorry. **

**So, without further ado, enjoy my latest brain child. Please review and let me know what you think!**

**~The Phantom's Flutist~**

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**The King and Lionheart**

**Prologue**

There once was a time in Jane's life where she would give anything for the sake of science. This moment is not one of those times: when SHIELD had told her it was time to hide. She had been bullied and pushed by these people for two months after Thor left her in the dust, and she had had enough.

Things have been changing dramatically for the past six months. Science, as it seems, is not the same magical essence as she saw it two months ago when she watched in awe as a tendril of power (what she later noted to be the bifrost or the Einstein-Rosen bridge she had been trying to figure out for years) crashed to the Earth with Thor along in it. It was then that the doors of the universe were opened, and in that moment what she thought would change the world for good, instead started the beginning of the end of the world as she knew it.

Erik Selvig, a long time friend and fatherly figure, had decided to work more closely with SHIELD to study the tesseract, much to Jane's dismay, and in return, she never heard from him again. Paranoid, she pestered the agents with questions about his whereabouts, but none of them knew for certain. Panic took over her mind and made it increasingly difficult for her to work in return for the agency's lack of information for her, only making everything miserable. She had proven herself too emotionally unstable to continue her research.

As if that wasn't enough, there was footage showing around both on the news and in SHIELD's offices of New York being attacked by an alien force and subsequently left in shambles. The Avengers, an elite group of superhumans (and much to her dismay, Thor) had fought for all they're worth against the aliens but in vain, for the army of aliens was far too much for even the mighty Thor to handle. She pressed for information from her supervising agents as to who was behind this, and, if they knew who... why? They were slow to respond, but she found the information when she demanded it, and the answer to her question was none other than Loki.

She knew of Loki- the power he had and his higher intellect that was far more superior than Thor's- and the threat that he holds towards humanity scared her. The moment New York City had been defeated, SHIELD had decided to pick her up and move her to a more remote location in Michigan. She, of course, disagreed, unaware of any reason why Loki would have any use for her, and was nonetheless angered. There was no way in Hell she was leaving her makeshift home of New Mexico, she thought constantly. She fought against the agency with every point and circumstance she had. But, of course, there was not much that she could say to counter the resilient SHIELD agents who wanted her and, more importantly, her research safe. Not with a world war striking away at this very moment.

The bunker in Michigan was entirely underground, occupied by specialist scientists who lived and worked there, unremarkably, for a very high price. When she arrived, she was embraced warmly, a notion that had moved her after several years of being looked down upon within the science community for her abstract theory of space and time after university. Over the course of the week when she first came there, she had met plenty of people who had similar notions, who believed in what she said, and most of all, bothered to listen to what she had to say.

After that week, the distraction and fear of the new war drove people further and further apart within the bunker, and Jane found herself almost alone to her work and calculations, only being accompanied periodically by one of the agents who checked on her work.

Her mind often drifted off to Thor... She wondered what he was thinking of his brother at the moment. She remembered how quick he was to apologize to him after he almost destroyed the small town she lived in, how he almost killed Thor himself... but he was so ready to forgive and forget all for his brother. Perhaps he might be on Loki's side again? Only because he loves him... But if it meant destroying the world Jane knew Thor was sworn to protect, would he stick by his brother's side? Several sleepless nights never answered that question. When she asked Agent Walter, one of the friendlier people who often stopped by to check in, if he knew anything about Thor and his whereabouts, he would give a friendly reminder that that was disclosed information not meant for civilians. That did not stop her from raiding him with questions about the Avengers and where they might be in the world, giving their all in fighting the war... One day, Agent Walter was replaced with Agent Jones... and he wasn't as nice.

She had eventually found a lab-mate named David who worked with her in the bunker as well as stayed in the dark prison cell-like room adjacent to hers. She found common ground with him in the way that they both were orphans and studied astrophysics in college. She remembers him kindly; his soft smile, shy nature, and light hair that was always in an uncombed disarray when he moved about the lab. She watched him and he watched her through the darkness of their loneliness, and he always seemed to be the light.

Every late night they made a habit of turning on the television to watch the footage on the news of the superhumans fighting for our world in a war now being known as the Avengers' War as if it was a sporting event. They both grabbed blankets and sat next to each other with a bowl of popcorn and any alcoholic beverage that had been offered in the cafeteria that day, and acted as if it was a movie night... for in their rational brains, these events only happened in movies, not in the real world.

Within two weeks of New York City's downfall, Boston, San Francisco, London and Madrid were taken under control of Loki and his army. SHIELD became more demanding for their research in the bifrost bridge and what could possibly be transporting these alien forces... as if there was any way of stopping it. Jane concluded after much thought that this alien species could not possibly be traveling by the bifrost, but instead another high power. What the high power could have possibly been was another question that was impossible to answer with the materials she had been given.

She found herself drinking more heavily every time she turned on the news to find a new city announced to have surrendered all over the world. One night, after an airing of Loki claiming there were truces and peaceful offerings for all countries who surrender, both her and David were almost entirely aware that this was a war to be lost. They drank away every emotion from the loss of thousands of human lives that were being taken as they sat tucked away in this bunker. In retaliation of the loss of their sanity, they let each other fall into a desperate kind of affection, one in which every kiss was signed with the odor of wine or vodka upon their lips. When the Avengers initiative had failed, Africa had entirely surrendered and half of America was under siege, they woke the morning after the announcement to find themselves nude, in each others' arms.

Jane never really knew much about David; nothing about his family, his past life, where he had studied, what brought him to the SHIELD bunker... But she did not care. He was not Thor, she did not love David, but she believed that he was a blessing amongst all this madness that kept her head on her shoulders, that kept her from finding a way out of the underground as if she could do anything to help the world above ground.

David, wondering how much longer they would last before being found like all the other SHIELD bunkers and headquarters, had given her a necklace that he had kept around for safe keeping, a gift from his mother before she had died. Jane took it willingly, wanting to hold onto any piece of sanity she had left as the research turned into hopeless notes through articles when the internet and computer systems were shut off. She promised to keep it on for as long as she could, and that would serve as a reminder that there was always hope... always that light at the end of the tunnel, such as David has shown toward her.

After being told by various SHIELD agents that there would be no way Loki could find her here, following those four months of spasmodically conducting research that would no longer save them if they were to be kept hidden, it no longer mattered.

Loki had already won.

In the middle of what Jane had thought to be the night (she could never be entirely sure anymore), there were sirens blaring throughout the bunker, causing her and David to groggily wake up to figure out the cause. They rummaged around the room, finding where they lost their clothes, and stepped into the hallway of the living quarter to find agents with guns running and yelling out orders to duck and cover.

David tried asking one of the agents what was going on, but it was too late. A large alien-like creature stomped through the hallway, grabbing the people as they walked by, either smashing them against the wall and its partner arrested them or simply throwing them against the other wall just hard enough to leave them motionless... perhaps even dead. But whatever its purpose was for doing this random seizing and killing, it was thorough as it seeped out who it wanted, and what it didn't want. Like a petulant child looking for its favorite plaything...

In the corner of her eye, as she ran through the halls as fast as her legs could carry her, David was yanked away from her.

"No, please!" She remembers screaming, feeling adrenaline course through her veins as she plummeted against the large alien creature who, in return, hissed (or was that a type of growl?) at her. There was an agonizing pressure against her head suddenly, her vision began to swim as she still tried to fight with all she had... Kicking, screaming, crying...

Regardless of what she did in those final moments of the little bit of freedom she had left, the world around her went black. There was nothing SHIELD or Jane could do about it. Knowing she had fought all she could, that short moment before she fell was what she believed to be the last bit of peace she could have known.


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey all! I've began working to edit this work as of right now, trying to make it adjust to a more solid plot scheme and mold it to fit much better with everything I have had floating in my mind for all this time as of 4/17**

**Enjoy!**

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"_Dark the stars and dark the moon,_

_Hush the night and the morning loon,_

_Tell the horses and beat on your drum,_

_Gone their master, gone their son._

_Dark the oceans, dark the sky,_

_Hush the whales and the ocean tide,_

_Tell the salt marsh and beat on your drum,_

_Gone their master, gone their son."_

_-Gone_ by Ioanna Gika

The air was damp, but not humid enough to be considered stale. It had an iciness to it that sent a chill through Jane, traveling from the nape of her neck to her feet. The darkness was so thick that one could slice a knife through it, almost stifling in its bleakness. She did not know what to think or feel... She figured that another day (day being a subjective term, she did not honestly know how much time had passed) and she would not be able to feel anything due to frostbite. It was obvious there was no sort of doorway, window, or anything that could have possibly lead to the outside, for it was the middle of summer (at least, that's what she thought) unless she was on another side of the world, which was just as much of a possibility as anything.

Her body remained motionless: her wrists chained behind her back with an impalpable force, her lips entirely sealed, her ankles as well. Any sound that could be made from her vocal chords was a frantic and airy hum, so she stopped bothering with moans, cries, or any other sound approximately two days ago.

She calculated she was perhaps underground and sitting on the cold cement to an unfinished basement; "basement" being the most comforting word she could think of, even though "prison cell" would be much more accurate. There was no way she could possibly tell how long she has been down here in the absolute darkness. There was no way of telling whether or not she was dead or not. She figured she might as well die down here, for there was no purpose to strive for a life any longer.

There was no telling whether or not David was dead, for he was the only person that she could possibly have any care for at the moment. She had no family to think of besides Erik and Darcy, and she has been uncertain of their continuing existence for months now. Thor was most likely alive and well, but probably had no idea where she was... even if he did know, would he come back? Doubts filled her mind to the point that she felt sick and confused.

She realized that the last thing she had eaten was a hamburger for dinner before whenever she was captured, which she guessed might have been three days ago. Two days of which she had spent quite possibly unconscious. Her stomach was the only noise that could be heard through the thick silence, and it growled like an angry wolf, threatening to eat her from her insides, out.

Her heart dropped suddenly, when she heard footsteps. They were not inside the room she was in, so she supposed there would be a hallway outside of wherever she was. A door opened, revealing the first bit of light she had seen in days, and she turned her head to shield the hurt that it caused.

"Bring her," she heard a man say, the sudden noise almost shocking. Two strong hands grabbed both of her arms, dragging her like a rag doll with her raw bare feet rubbing against the cement. She moaned in pain at the sudden movement, her body aching in several places that she had been numbed to until this moment.

They put her into an elevator with two men that carried guns on their backs, and judging by their uniforms, were also guards. She still shut her eyes to repel the bright light, but it was not entirely successful, for the strange light still shone through her eyelids, causing her head to spin. Never in her life had she felt so weak, so defeated... And now, her mind was so confused that she could care less where these guards were taking her, even if it meant to her death.

She bit the side of her cheek to restrain the pain from becoming any more intolerable. The moans emanating from her throat could not be stopped as her bones felt like they pierced through her skin now, so thin and vulnerable to any impact.

Suddenly she was thrown to her knees onto a plush carpet, without knowing how she had gotten there so quickly.

"Very good," She heard another man's voice, a tenor, and very thin come from the front of the room from where she just entered. "Away with you." She _knew_ that voice... she moved her gaze from her bound wrists to the source of this strangely _familiar _voice. And it was just as quickly that she knew her answer.

"What have I here?" The dark-haired, angular man questioned. His eyes were blazing with green, his armor seemed to mirror the same color, with a billowing cape that echoed what she last saw Thor wearing... And she knew who this was.

She saw his face on the television since the first day of her containment at SHIELD, giving false promises of peace and prosperity as images flashed across the television of dead, mangled bodies lying in the streets, people standing amongst the remains of cities that had been blown to ashes along with their fellow dead citizens, their eyes cold and numb. Heavy promises that the terror would stop the moment that the people of Earth would give in, as if that would ever make up for the thousands of deaths that have already occurred...

Enough.

Her mind went into immediate calculation of how to react. SHIELD had lost, for she had already been found by Loki-unless-

Suddenly, she could hear herself breathe through her mouth again, and whatever was restraining her mouth to open had been lifted, and she sighed with relief.

"And your name would be?" Loki was suddenly very close to her crippled body, so close that she could see from where she was kneeling every detail embellished in his black leather boots riddled with some sort of ancient language... runes, her mind fetched from her memories. His black leathery underclothing underneath the golden armor was etched in golden symbols that she had only slightly recognized from Erik's books of mythology. Some summoned magic, others protection, and above all, the very name of the God who stood before her. If she had any more strength, she would have appreciated the strange, but more so threatening, beauty of his stature. There was nothing warm about this alien to her world, unlike the golden Thor she came to appreciate. It was like there was a coldness simply radiating off of him. They were quite literally polar opposites. It was no wonder they didn't get along.

A verdict came to mind: she had to lie to the God of Lies. She couldn't let Loki win just yet. Not after SHIELD had went through every leap and every bound simply to protect her. Surely he wouldn't know what she looked like, only the fact that his brother's romantic interest was named Jane Foster, a mortal astrophysicist who helped him return to Asgard... She could give it a try, she would have been disappointed not to.. even if it meant she was to lose. She refused to be used as an interest point against the very force she was fighting with.

"N-N-Nicole..." She said, adding an extra shiver to make it seem like she was weak from everything else other than the fear that now encased her entire mind... not looking at him to betray the lie. "N-Nicole L-Lewis..."

"Nicole Lewis?" He repeated, weighing the name on his tongue, "Odd, I do not remember seeing that name listed in the roster. Why is that?"

"I had just arrived..." She added strength to her tone and looked up to his eyes, piercing green meeting muddled brown. "I was there only a day before..." She drifted off, and then shuddered again, as the memories of waking up to the invasion of the bunker infiltrated her mind. Screams. Pleas. The most civilized people she knew being reduced to chaos and disorganization. _David_. Of course, that was what the God who stood before her was known for, was it not?

"I see, " he replied sturdily. There was no reason behind it, no emotion to add to an explanation of why he seemed so disconnected. It was like his body was the cold shell to a soul that burned with a fire fueled by chaos.

"Why am I here?" She asked suddenly.

"Do not speak unless you have been asked to," He barked coldly, knocking her off her knees in surprise. She looked up to him, trying to mask her sudden fear. "You are a scientist, no doubt," he continued on as a statement rather than a question, "Otherwise you would not have been captured from the bunker's living quarters."

She nodded slowly. At least there could be some sort of truth in this scheme she was setting up.

"In what specialty?"

"Engineering," she lied. Had she said astrophysics, she'd become an immediate dead-ringer. "I was transferred from Stark Tower before the..." she searched for a word that would be suitable for him, "invasion."

"Strange, I still do not recognize you," He muttered, his emotionless, angular face was as if he was carved from the finest granite. "No matter," he said lightly, waving a dismissive hand, "I suppose I could find a use for you. You are not like the others from your bunker who sniveled and begged for mercy. They were weak. I see strength in you."

She swallowed, "What did you do to them?"

"What did I say about speaking out of turn?" He bellowed suddenly, raising a hand that did not move, but she felt the full blow of a back hand form pressure on her right cheek. She gasped out in shock at his sudden movement of passion, tears continue to well in her eyes from the pain and started to spill, betraying her indifferent yet pathetic manner. "You shall _not _show disrespect to a God. Especially not to one who is your king. Gods have no requirement to explain what they do."

She lowered her head, biting her tongue against any retort she could have made to that, referring to Thor. She would have been found out right then in there.

_Thor_, her thoughts repeated sadly. Would he save her now?

"There... Is that not easier?" he asked gently- almost _too_ gently. "I _knew_ you had heart," he replied as if he was praising a five-year-old, "I shall require your skills in Earth's sciences, and you shall help me. Is that clear?"

She nodded slowly, "Yes... But... _my King_," She sneered that last word, and immediately shrunk back as his eyes suddenly looked directly to her, "If I may ask... _how_?"

"You shall see in time," He replied calmly, and then she felt two cold and slender fingers underneath her chin tilt her head to face him eye to eye, and something inside her started to guide her legs to stand up and face him. His green eyes seemed to see _right_ through her... as if he was reading every piece of information he could off of her face. She sunk into the hand that seemed to have made her stand on the two feet which, she had somehow just noticed, were magically unbound. "It is a shame I do not remember you... You seem quite... _familiar_."

She opened her mouth to speak, but she could not find her voice. It was no use, anyways, there was nothing intelligible she could say that could counter him. All she could focus on was the gnawing sensation that lingered on her wrists from the shackles. Her silence bored him, so he let her fall to the ground instead.

Her wrists, she noticed earlier, were becoming intolerably boney and thin, reddened from whatever pressure held them together. However, no matter how much weight she had lost from the day she must have first arrived here, the "shackles" seemed to shrink to her wrist. That was the last of her worries.

She noticed once more he coldly stared down at her, but he wasn't looking _at her_. Tired, perhaps? No, calculating, her mind corrected instantly.

Her stomach grumbled loudly which broke his reverie.

"Guards," he said evenly, once he looked away from her, his green eyes still awfully distant. "Take her upstairs . Gently. There is no need for violence, she is of no threat. Do feed her. A dead or starving hostage is of no use." He then looked down to her with a small, wolfish grin, "I shall see you again, Nicole Lewis."

Her stomach flipped but not out of hunger.

Large hands gripped her forearms once more only to guide her to rise to her feet and follow behind. She looked to her feet in an effort to not fall over in weakness from the thought of food which somehow caused her stomach to act up in loud roaring grumbles.

She nearly blacked out as they continued to walk, her mind overloading with thoughts of horror. She was to die here, she was sure of it. _Thor..._

He had promised to come back...

_Now _would be a good time.

Her heart stuttered on the fact, but stopped when she was placed into yet another room. This time, there was a cot for a bed, her "shackles" were undone, and a plate of food was placed onto the plush carpet floor. It looked as though the room could have been impeccably decorated at one point, only to be ruined later and made into a prison cell. She was unsure about what could possibly light the room, but at least there was a window that would provide it when there was daylight. She now recognized where she was as she nearly crawled her way over to it and looked outside. New York City. It would have been hardly recognizable in its darkness had it not been for the fact she in the only skyscraper that had not lost a floor or two. She supposed whatever grids held electricity within the main city were destroyed for now. She would figure the rest of it out later, right now she focused on getting something into her stomach before she passed out from weakness.

On the metal plate before her was a dinner roll, a knife and butter, along with a plate of spaghetti, and a fork. It was cold, however. No one bothered to heat it up, so it was most likely left-over from whatever Loki enjoyed who knows how many days before. It did not matter whether it was drugged, moldy, freezing, she would have taken anything edible at that moment. She sat contentedly on the stiff cot placed for her that had a single sheet placed over it.

As she chewed on the stale dinner roll, she pondered who else might be in the same area as her that were maybe on another floor or on the other side of the floor. She might have to figure out a way to see for herself. With substance returning to her stomach, her confidence appeared as well as determination.

Before, she was ignorant to the outside world. Now, the circumstances hit her like a brick, for she was with the terrorist _himself._ The man who started this mess, the man who killed all those people in the "dignified" pursuit of subjugating a planet that could never be unified. She stood next to the window for a moment, watching a fire that had not yet been put up from the past on the rooftop of a wrecked office building.

She was in the business district, she could tell, judging by the closeness of the Hudson river that innocently reflected the moon. Normally in New York City, one would not be able to see the river unless they were dozens of stories up. She could see the Empire State building in the distance, looking like one of the least destructed buildings in her view.

Now, you could easily look through the rest of the city for the tops of the majority of the buildings were destroyed. She realized, with another pang of dread, she was in Stark tower. The only building in the city that could possibly be of any importance to Loki with its technologies and weapon intelligence. This must have came to be his headquarters of sorts for the United States, as New York City was the very first city in the world to have been taken down.

She wondered idly what Tony Stark did about this. As her scientific engineering idol, she knew him never to back out of this sort of thing without so much as a fight. She only knew of the choice words he had to speak of on television after the initial invasion as he stood, his dignity still in tact but with a battered iron man suit. He was so much more of a man that people could actually relate to rather than the figurehead millionaire for Stark Industries who has managed to start helping to save and improve the world in the name of science. She only found it comical that several of Mr. Stark's words were _bleeped_ out as he spoke of his gradual defeat and what the Avengers were prepared to do.

What now?

She looked at the door handle and turned it, but there was no use as the knob would not even _turn_. If anything, she noted there were door hinges if she became really desperate.

She sprawled out onto the bed in what was beginning to feel like defeat, her mind beginning to haze over in her utmost fatigue brought on by the overexertion of her body. In the morning, she swore, she would have to continue to think over her situation and analyze it to her best ability, however she knew it would only be a minimal attempt if the amount of nourishment that kept coming her way was as scarce as her dinner.

She laid onto the cot pulling the sheets over her body and stared at the ceiling. Her mind was numbed, her heartbeat unsteady, but there was nothing for her to do as of yet... Nothing but lay here and stay alive. Unconsciousness drifted into her body and mind without permission, and soon she drifted into a restless slumber.


	3. Chapter 2

_"Seven devils all around you_  
_Seven devils in my house_  
_See they were there when I woke up this morning_  
_I'll be dead before the day is done"_

The sunlight awoke Jane in what looked to be the dawn, but she paid no mind. She had not seen the sun rise or even fall upon the Earth in months, so she gratefully embraced the feeling of the warmth on the sheets and her skin. It was like the going outside on the first warm day of the year after a very long and cold winter. But this did not mean her mind was in any way celebrating this.

She watched as the fire on the building below her continued to burn, but she realized there was a fire engine attempting to put it out in hopes of preventing further damage. Perhaps, she thought, Loki was allowing for the city to be rebuilt as it was already conquered. Perhaps... the people of New York could resume their normal lives as the stubborn people would. Considering the fact New York has the potential to regain it's "one of the world's most important cities" status even after it endured such destruction. It would be both useful to Loki himself, and beneficial to the people who he intended to rule...

Her stomach lurched at that thought. Maybe this is how he was strategically winning over the people and governments; by tearing down and then rebuilding, giving the people a sense of accomplishment under his tyranny, such that the lies that he weaves about making the world better would become more palpable... perhaps they weren't lies after all. She shook away that thought. She saw the way he looked at her, she felt the coldness of his presence. She was firm in her belief of his being a monster. He wasn't _human_.

She discovered after a few moments of glancing around the stripped room that there was a bathroom behind the second door she must have been too tired to realize was there last night. She gratefully splashed her face with water, realizing just how terrible she looked in the mirror. She looked as though she just walked out of a zombie movie, her hair hadn't seen a brush in what looked to be weeks, there were dark bruise-like circles underneath her eyes, there were still splotches of red on her cheek that were imprinted of Loki's invisible backhand. She looked like she just traveled from Hell and back. Of course, perhaps she did.

She groaned miserably as her stomach groaned once more. Her legs wobbled when she attempted to stand upon the ground and eventually her vision began to swim once more. She eventually shifted so that she was sitting in fetal position with her back bracing against the wall, shaking ever so slightly from the lack of nourishment.

The knock on the door came too soon. She braced herself to be facing the guards, but something worse opened the door, instead.

Loki, instead, showed into the doorway. One would think that the sunlight might give anyone a beneficial glow about him, but instead he looked colder. There was a glare in his eye, a curve to his thin lips, and an utter pale glow to his skin that made her want to avert her eyes from his alien figure. He wore his usual get-up, the metal and leather looking even more threatening now that she could see it in full detail with the glowing of the sun.

She felt as if, for a moment, she was still asleep, within a nightmare that she could not escape. She could not understand, within her tired mind, why Loki was standing before her, looking as cruel as ever, but holding a tray of good in his arms as though he were one of his many servants. There had to be a reason, a threat he must deliver, something other than the fact he came for a social visit.

She blinked several times as she looked over him, his eyes widened as she slowly uncurled from her fetal position, attempting to look as strong as she could.

"Good morning," his thin voice diffused throughout the entirety of the room, dripping into her ears. His voice was not as distant as it was the night prior. Perhaps he was simply in a bad mood the night prior... but then again, she doubted Loki had any other mood setting other than being in a bad mood. "Lovely day, is it not?" He asked, looking pointedly out the window to the burning city, his eyes taunting her just as his light, free voice seemed to. He showed his white teeth, looking almost reptilian in his grin, his green eyes tightening at the corners.

Jane ground her teeth together, figuring she did not like this new tone, either. His voice sent jitters through her.

He moved abruptly to place the tray onto the end of her cot and she nearly jumped ten feet in the air trying to get as far away from him as possible. He noticed her reaction, and then his grin turned even wider, she thought his skin might begin to rip.

"I give you permission to speak to me, Miss Lewis. I do not wish to speak to myself," He offered, with an amused, delighted smirk at her fear. She knew she should not feed this hunger for such a thing, but she could not move.

She remained silent, pressing her lips together firmly, watching his every movement, never leaving his eyes.

"Have no fear, my lady, I shall not raise a hand to you again, unless you give me reason to." He stepped closer to her, and she nearly curled further into herself, raising her knees to her chin, wrapping her arms around them. _My lady_? Her mind repeated with a dull satisfaction. Perhaps that is simply some sort of Asgardian default, she countered.

"Oh, but what is it?" he asked, appraising her slowly, as though she were a specimen being placed into a petri dish. "Fear...?" he asked and then, shook his head, his smirk becoming entirely taunting now, "No, no... defiance. I see that within you. You wish to appear strong in the face of your master. I admire that. Not many have such a will, I must say," He sounded as though he were speaking more to himself than to her.

She only continued to press her lips together, her eyes narrowed tightly as she looked over him and he looked over her. "Speak," he demanded, causing her to jump once more. He might as well have been demanding a dog to "sit."

"What do you want me to say?" She spat coldly. "I'm not entertainment for you. It is not a lovely day, New York City is burning as we speak, and I have been dragged around like a rag doll for as long as I can recall after waking up in a cold and miserable basement without food or drink or even a bathroom. What the hell should I say to you?" She clenched her jaw shut as his expression returned back to his stolid blank slate. She hoped that if she ground her teeth just enough, the words that she had said would just erase themselves.

He regained his usual composure, folding his hands together, somehow not looking taken aback by her outburst. She swallowed nervously.

"Surely you would be grateful for what you have been through had you known what became of your peers and your friends. You are not as silly as them. Much wiser and tactical. You do not beg and snivel like a child as they did," He said distantly. "Even though you have changed my mind, I had once decided your fate would be no different than theirs'."

"What did you do to them?!" She demanded suddenly.

"You shall know soon," he replied hastily, "However, my mind can still be easily changed back. Is that what you would want, Miss Lewis?" He asked, tilting his head to the side curiously.

She shook her head, widening her eyes at the sudden threat, but then tried to regain her posture.

"I did not come here to argue or converse with you, but more so to invite you to work." Invitation, a word used lightly. If she did not comply, she knew subliminally that there would be consequences, "I will let you freshen up and eat. The guards will fetch you in another thirty minutes. Your peers will explain what it is that I require of your services. As for me, I have business to attend to. I shall see you much later, Miss Lewis. It would be wise for you to stay out of trouble." He bowed mockingly, looking up through his eyelids to catch a glimpse of her expression, and consequently backed out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

She stared at the door he just shut, and then to the food that was getting cold, if it was not cold already. She was proven correctly, that the pancakes and sausage were both cold, and once more, most likely leftovers. "Selfish bastard," she mumbled under her breath as she downed the cold food and lukewarm milk.

She wondered if there would be any unpleasant diseases that might come with undercooked or cold food... Perhaps then she would have an excuse not to see him again, and be left alone if she was puking everywhere. She immaturely thought he might get so sick of her being ill all the time because she was useless, he would let her go.

She waited anxiously for the guards to drag her elsewhere and see what became of everyone else within this building. She was almost-dare she say it?-desperate for human contact.

However, if she saw Loki's face one more time she might scream. She was unsure how Thor could even manage him for these thousands of years... she couldn't even manage looking at him for a few minutes. Knowing how many people he killed, how easily he killed them, how easily he was destroying this world and thinking he could make it better... Her skin crawled. She shuddered whenever she even thought of his name. The powerless feeling she had when he spoke to her was unbelievable.

She had to get over it. If she wanted a chance to get out of here, she couldn't be a pathetic, idiotic girl. She was above that... far above that. She had to show that she did not fear him... or death, at the moment. She would rather die than fall to him like everyone else has.

If she could only hold out so long... until... until Thor might save her. He would come for her, and take down his brother and send him back to Asgard, where he belongs... Of course, if it was as simple as that, she was sure it would have happened a long time ago. That meant Thor was up to something else... Quite possibly helping the countries that have not surrendered yet, rather than directly facing his brother. Perhaps he was much more aware that Loki was in too deep and could not be talked down from his pedestal any longer... And that, in itself, was frightening.

Her door opened sooner than she'd like once more, and she was, thankfully, guided without any forceful shoving or dragging to the stairs. They silently escorted her up two flights of stairs before the finally reached her destination, she supposed. It was in what looked to be a makeshift laboratory setup.

There were surprisingly several people walking around, blindly walking to wherever they are needed. Very few people spoke to each other. When she stepped foot into the room she was unnoticed, save for two people who looked up to look at her... but they didn't really look at her, it was like what was behind those two pairs of eyes did not even notice her existence, still. She noticed in the same glance that both of them had unnatural bright blue eyes, so bright in the dim light of the lab that they were like two pairs of lights reflecting the few shades of light around her. She shuddered... there was something very, very wrong with these scientists.

The guards pushed her forward past them, as they resumed their work, for she did not entirely recognize the two faces, but could probably place them as former workers of SHIELD by their movements which were both professional and measured.

As she moved past tables that held strange devices, machines, and several types of what she knew to be generators, she discovered that there were very few people from the bunker that she had stayed in. All of the people who she managed to get a glimpse of had bright blue eyes, and she just knew it wasn't coincidence. Perhaps this is what Loki meant by "like the others"... She wasn't to be turned into a mindless robot.

"Jane," she heard her name to the right of her. She turned almost instantly, forgetting that wasn't what she was to be called. Her stomach lurched. Who knew her name? "Nicole Lewis," It was a familiar voice. She managed to turn from the guards and see who was calling her quickly. Her heart seemed to stop for a moment when she saw David standing before her... not necessarily unharmed. She could easily see bruises on his face and arms, as well as some scrapes and cuts along his skin, that seemed to just have the chance to heal over.

She gave him a look to signal him to stop talking. With her luck she would have her her identity be known if Loki was somehow overhearing. She could never be sure. The guards no longer seemed to notice that she had wandered off, and she could care less. She walked over to where he was standing, without looking too suspicious, even though it was hard to contain the smile that was threatening to show. She acted as if he asked her to come over to work on something, though she was almost entirely sure she just threw away her entire scheme.

He then grabbed both her shoulders and made her kneel down to underneath the lab table.

"I thought you were dead," he whispered sadly.

"I thought you became one of them," she answered looking pointedly above them. "But why aren't you?" Her brow furrowed, trying to make sense of her situation.

"I am... not entirely sure," he shrugged, "I suppose he liked me enough to keep me around." He smiled dimly at the thought, "He told me to explain to you what needs to be done. The others take orders from him." He eyed around him, checking to see there weren't any people listening in. "I did not know of your name... I did not know it was you..." he sighed heavily, looking like he was almost about to cry. "I thought he was going to kill me. I thought... I thought everything was over... And then everyone is gone... I can't talk to any of these people, they simply stare. It's like talking to a brick wall. They only speak unless he is speaking to him. Like programmed robots. It's like he is the only one who speaks their language. And then you-"

"I had to keep my name to myself." She answered his unspoken question.

He looked confused. "Why?"

"There is too much at stake. I have people to protect. The reason I was in the bunker was because of Loki's brother... He told SHIELD that Loki swore he would look for me. Loki cannot know," She explained quickly, looking into his eyes for assurance that this wasn't a trick, that after everything she had to suppress, and she had to stay strong throughout it. After several silent moments of searching, she saw no such sign. She might of finally found some light in the metaphorical tunnel.

He nodded, taking it in, and then consequently wrapped his arms around her tightly. She tried to hold back her tears at the amount of joy in her heart that she was not alone anymore. She did not have to fight Loki alone.

"We have to fight," Jane pulled away from him, looking sincerely into his eyes.

He shut his eyes, and then pressed his forehead against hers, and kissed her cheek. She shuddered from the unexpected contact. "On my life, we will." She watched as a tear rolled down his cheek. "We should not be speaking like this. You need to get to work." He suddenly noted, remembering where they were... which was underneath a lab table. She was surprised not one of the workers had noticed their absence. Or perhaps they did, but it is not like they would react for it was not in their power.

"What is going on here? Why does he need all these people?" She looked around herself, guesing there were at least two dozen scientists flitting around the room.

"He is going to reproduce a portal. Similar to the one he induced when he first arrived to Earth... however, that one is hundreds of feet below the ground in the grave of SHIELD headquarters, and due to the lack of this Asgardian transportation called the Bifrost, he will be in much use of it. He, personally, does not need it... But it is for further reinforcement and political ties to the other... erm, nine realms."

"So he is rebuilding the Bifrost?" Jane reinforced quickly. "For diplomatic reasons? Why should we trust that?"

"We don't have much of a choice in the matter, I'm afraid." David looked at her sadly.

"How could we power it without a higher energy source?"

"Again, not an issue. He shall come in possession of the tesseract soon enough, and the portal shall be opened for whomever wishes to come through."

Jane looked at him, fear in her eyes. "And he expects to do this by when?" She asked in a business-like voice.

"As soon as physically possible. He does not expect to be hindered." David replied, rolling his eyes.

"How ridiculous. How could he not consider the outside forces that will try to barge in once he is in possession of the tesseract? Unless that is why he does not have it yet..."

"Exactly. The man is not a total idiot, J-" he stopped himself, "Nicole."

"A total idiot? So you still consider him one? After all this time? After all he's done?"

David smirked, "Anyone who expects full reign on Earth is an idiot. They can not predict human nature when it is being contained."

"And when this portal is built...? What of the astrology involved? He doesn't come from this world so how does he expect to figure that out?"

David paled and looked down to his hands. "I think you should see for yourself." He looked pointedly to another point of the room, to where there were several people gathered around a Stark computer, taking notes, doing equations.

One of them turned from the group to walk away and grab his pad of paper. In any other circumstance, she would have simply looked over it, but she knew that face anywhere.

Erik Selvig.

Her heart squeezed, and she felt nauseous for the umpteenth time today. Part of her wanted to run over to him and try to talk him out of the stupor Loki had put him in, but the other wanted to hug him just because she knew he was alive and well. Not mentally, of course, but most of Loki's "employees" are unharmed if they have the light blue eyes. They would have no incentive to do anything against him, anyway.

She had been under the impression for a very long time that Erik was dead after SHIELD had not heard from him in months. Now that she is aware of the fact that he was not dead, just how far gone is he? Will he ever be back to normal?

"I am so sorry," David murmured into her ear. She felt herself become even more nauseous at the thought.

Jane shook her head, trying to retain the horror that was building up inside her. What if Erik was gone forever? If Loki is defeated... she would have no one... No one to look to in times when she has nowhere to go. Everything about this she detested.

She felt stifled now, standing in this lab, looking at all these people who have either given in or have forcefully given in. She could never believe Erik would go willingly, so something must have happened when he disappeared off of SHIELD's radar... It did not matter. He lost. She lost. It is as if this whole thing was a game... you either win or you lose, and if you are not strong enough; game over.

She wanted to grab David's arm and make a run for it, even if it meant she would get caught... she had to try. Her better judgment through her desperation told her otherwise. Not yet.

"David, we have got to get out of here," She murmured, leaning over to his ear, tears betraying her strong manner. "We have to leave. I can't stand it here any more."

David looked at her sincerely then took a pad of paper from one of the tables, one already riddled with equations and calculations and began writing.

_If I knew there was a way to get out of this, we would be gone right now. But there's not. There's no feasible way of escaping right now, okay? Clint Barton, _he looked pointedly over to a man whom she recognized from televisions where they called him "Hawkeye"..._ He was one of the Avengers. A master assassin, trained by SHIELD until everything that could be human about him was lost as well. He somehow undid the spell or whatever it is after ; recalibration of the mind, he put into technical terms. He was taken back, punished and tortured until he stopped fighting and trying to escape. I will not let you get into that. You have no idea what he is capable of. _David explained.

Jane nodded slowly, acting as if she was taking orders from him.

"We must try something," Jane said quietly. "I refuse to die here at the hands of this... this asshole."

"We will," David promised, taking her hand and then squeezed it, but she knew that was just to console her. He doubted it as well. He threw the paper, ripping it into several pieces, and threw it into a trash bin.

He continued to explain what is needed and what she can do to help continue working on the portal as an "engineer", even though she knew deep down, she could never bring herself to help the enemy. Even if it was her life on the line.

_And now all your love will be exorcised_  
_And we will find your sayings to be paradox_  
_And it's an even sum_  
_It's a melody_  
_It's a battle cry_  
_It's a symphony_


	4. Chapter 3

**So, it's been over a week since I posed last, and that is because marching band has sucked my life entirely, and the day off that I had was filled with outlining and writing different sections of the story. Simply because I do not post a chapter doesn't mean I haven't been working on the story itself. I'm trying to make this story have a thicker plot then intended, and I assure you, it is going to be one of my most brilliant plots yet. I'm really _really_ excited about it. The outline is pretty fabulous... not to brag or anything. I hope you guys will enjoy it just as much as I am enjoying writing it. **

**ANYWAYS, please review and let me know what you think of this chapter and how the story is moving along. What you think is extremely important to what happens in the story, and no matter what, your opinion still influences me as I write. **

**I thank all those who have favorited and followed this story so far. I'm so pleased. And as they say, a happy author is a writing author. **

**-The Phantom's Flutist**

* * *

The King and Lionheart

Chapter 3

Jane was allowed to return to her room after what felt like days working in the dark laboratory with the mindless slaves. Yet, it was only the night of the first day she had spent in an actual room, and in that, she was truly disappointed.

She wished she could have been able to ask David where they were keeping him, before she was forced to leave, but she was far too fixated on the matters that surrounded her that she didn't even think of it. No matter, she had several more days to figure those matters out. Or did she? She had no idea how long she would be staying in Loki's custody until she figured out a plan of escape... or before he kills her or brainwashes her. Whatever comes first.

Needless to say, no matter how exhausted she was, there would be no means of sleep. Her mind was reeling with the events of that day... Seeing Erik being taken away so mercilessly from her, through the use of his mind. She feared she might never have her adopted father again... Never has she felt more alone in her life. Yes, she has been an orphan since she was 7 years old, but even then Erik Selvig had taken her in and procured her with a life that was bound for success. And then Loki had to go and ruin _him_ and all those she held near and dear, and she has nothing to do about it to defend what is rightfully hers except sit here and comply to Loki's wishes so he doesn't brainwash her as well.

She drifted off into a dreaming state, eventually, not quite asleep, but not awake either, resting on her side that wasn't facing the window. She was not in the mind to stomach the sight of her world in ruins.

The morning came after another eternity of darkness, the sun now hidden behind clouds and rain lightly pelting against the windows. Her room was no longer a light gold, but instead, a dull gray. This disheartened her further.

A knock came on the door after about another hour of her stomach growling, and in entered two unfamiliar looking guards who placed her tray on the floor and then walked out.

And there, placed besides one of the dishes, laid a note. She picked it up before she even noticed what was on her plate. The handwriting was elegant, yet strange. The letters were connected in a way that could hardly pass at being any sort of normal cursive, but rather the penmanship was used to writing another way. It was as if it was taken from a sort of Celtic rune or another language, but it was plainly English.

_Lady Nicole,_

_I request for you to join me this evening after your work for dinner in the penthouse in the seventh hour of the evening. I have provided you with clothes that fit the graces of dining with your King. It would be wise for you not to refuse, do not forget your position._

_-L_

She swallowed, glancing over the text, reading it over and over, hoping that it wasn't true. She wasn't sure whether she could stand looking upon Loki again, much less eating with him. He already was assuming the title of _"king"_as if he had already won the entirety of the world, which she knew was not true. "King" would be associated with a lost hope that he had some sort of right to take the position of an admirable leader as an alien in her world. In Loki's case, the term "dictator" would be much more accurate of a description.

She searched the room for the supposed new clothes she had been promised. Inside the drawer of the untouched table were a few outfits consisting of a button-up shirt, two plain t-shirts, two pairs of jeans, pencil skirt with another business casual blouse, and finally, a spring dress that was tight fitting and went up to about her mid-thigh with a V-neck collar. All of it, strangely enough, was her size. The dress was not necessarily fitting of her usually modest style, but it would have to do considering it was the only thing provided that would suit "dining with her King". She rolled her eyes at the thought, and folded the clothing back into the drawer.

How did Loki even know her size of clothing? She felt sick. _Perhaps he had a really good eye? Did his magic include X-ray vision or something? Ugh._

As she thought, she began to eat the cold food on her plate, hardly being able to swallow the food down, but her stomach would have to wait for tonight to eat a decent meal. It would have to do, no matter how much she was opposed to spending it with the enemy not knowing his intentions toward her.

The guards came to fetch her to go back into the laboratory after she finished her pathetic excuse of a breakfast.

David was not the same person she left the night before. Despite the fact that the bruises that covered his body were beginning to turn to a greenish yellow color and heal, there were dark circles underneath his eyes and a few new scrapes that had formed on his arms and face.

He looked at her with sallow eyes when she entered, not really looking but simply directing his line of vision toward her. His mind was elsewhere.

"What happened?" She knew to ask. That snapped him out of whatever reverie he was currently in.

He blinked a few times and then shook his head. "It was a long night..." He murmured very quietly, his eyes darting back and forth, searching for something. Someone.

"What do you mean?" She pressed, taking the hint, and looked away, pretending like she wasn't talking to him directly.

"Last night I rigged a wire that hooks up JARVIS... Stark's automated butler who normally controls this Tower, it would help in our way out of here... just like I promised..." His voice started wavering and breaking. "And... and then a guard found me doing so, and..." he swallowed. "I didn't get any sleep."

Jane swallowed, reading in between the lines. "He... he tortured you?" Her voice broke.

David didn't answer. She took that as a "yes".

She nodded, nerves kicking in.

"So we're never getting out of here, then?" She asked.

He didn't do anything, and she knew he did not want to talk anymore. The rest of the day was quite silent between them, but she had to consider the fact that he _had_ figured out the beginning to an escape route to accommodate her desire to begin working at it. She noted what he said in the back of her mind, as she continued working with the calculations and started contributing toward building the enemy's means of transportation.

Dinner came all too fast. Anxiety had been writhing in her stomach all day, and when they finally pulled her out of the laboratory to change into the dress that had been provided, she felt like she was about to puke. She brushed out her hair with her fingers, but then found a brush in the room, and then used that. She splashed her face with cold water a few times, trying to make herself calm down, but there was no use.

By the time the guards came to fetch her, she was shaking like a leaf fluttering in the wind.

Loki just tortured David. She had no idea what the word "torture" might even imply, considering the powers that she knows Loki possesses. What if he intended on torturing her as well for conversing with him? Maybe he thinks she had something to do with his escape attempt?

Questions flooded her mind until she reached the penthouse. The doors opened to reveal Loki sitting at the head of a table, which had obviously been placed in the room based on the light color scheme that it matched. A lavish red table cloth had been placed over the modern dining table, and on top several plates of food, varying from roasted turkey, salmon, a large salad bowl, a bottle of fine wine, and several other sides to the entree. Her stomach grumbled just looking at it.

She looked up to see Loki standing at the end of the table, his hands folded on top of the chair, dressed stylishly in an Armani suit, looking just as regal in that as he did in his Asgardian garb, except it being a normal suit. The dark suit played out his green eyes, his pale, delicate-looking skin, and black disheveled hair, somehow combed back into a more organized manner. He looked handsome and less animalistic... That the level of insanity she had seen in his eyes before had decreased into a gentlemanly fashion that only belonged in another era.

"Lady Nicole," He approached her and bowed, looking up only to grab her hand, and kissing the knuckles of he hand. She pulled her hand away instantly, her cheeks ridiculously flushing tomato red.

She pressed her lips together, unsure of how to respond once more. She wanted to say so much, but everything she withheld was something that would surely get her killed.

"I do not believe I asked for your silence. I invited you to dinner. You should be grateful."

She continued to stand silently.

"You see, your lips are silent, but your eyes are saying much more than what you would like them to." He stated, looking at her directly. She looked away from his forest green eyes to see that he was much closer than she would like him to... Dangerously close.

"Tell me, my lady, what is it that holds your tongue against me?" He asked, reaching up to her face, and then brushed away a stray strand of hair that fell into her face. She quickly slapped the hand away, and then looked at his eyes, which were amused that she would even bother. He grabbed the hand that slapped him with the same hand.

His skin was smooth, she noted, except for the callouses in the pads of his fingers that brushed against the top of her hand. It was not from hard labor... the callouses were too tender to be considered as such.

"Ah, so _there _is that spark of fire," he smiled mischievously. "How adorable."

So her defiance wa_s respected _by him, even though her freedom was threatened whenever she spoke against him personally.

"Speak, Nicole. Your defiance can only strike my patience for so long. I am a very patient man, but I do not wish to speak to myself the entire night. Not when I have so much to _learn _about you." He stated thickly, reaching up to caress her cheek. She felt like she was about to burst. His voice was like molten lava in her ears, his words sparking the fire to the burning sensation. He was still _too _close to her, she could feel his breath on her neck.

"Why would you care?" she uttered in attempt to get him away from her.

There was a part of her that wishes she did not ask that question.

"Do you _want _to eat another cold meal by your lonesome?" He asked smoothly. She shook her head hastily in the negative. "I did not think so. I am lonesome as well, as you can see."

"Perhaps if you didn't turn all who could be your company into mindless slaves, you might not be so lonely." She remarked bluntly.

His smile widened and his eyes glistened with delight. "Ah yes, but even so, they would not be good company. As I noted earlier, they would only whimper and cower in fear."

"I thought you should like that," she replied, "considering you take any chance to intimidate and degrade political leaders and anyone else who stands up to you on a normal basis."

His smile diminished into a smirk, his eyes remaining amused. He inhaled sharply, "It becomes quite boring after so long. Eventually the thrill fades, and what is left is a tiring notion that there is nothing fruitful to become of a person ridden with fear."

She stared at him and there was an awkward silence as she took in his words, with her mouth slanting into a frown at the thoughtful answer. He suddenly let go of her hand and moved to pull out a chair from under the table for her, gesturing like a gentleman for her to sit. One would have never guessed based on his manners alone at this moment that he has killed thousands upon thousands in the past few months in the pursuit of world domination

"Please, sit, I did not mean to keep my guest standing," He apologized gently.

_Guest_. Another way to smooth over the fact she was another slave for him, simply less mindless than the others.

She followed suit reluctantly, her eyes never leaving him as he moved to sit on the opposite side of the table. He began to eat his food, and looked up as if to give her permission to do so as well. She placed the cloth napkin into her lap and then mimicked him, picking up her utensils as well.

Her hand shook as she did so, her heart racing, trying to keep her mind alert of him at all possible times. This must be what it feels like when a prey is being watched by its predator.

"Loki, I do not understand what you mean for me to be here..."

He looked up at her sharply, "You shall refer to me as your King or Lord, it is disrespectful to call me by my name."

"Yet you are neither of those things to _me_," She stated and rolled her eyes.

He shifted in his seat, taking no amusement from her remark.

"You do remember what I said earlier, hmm?" He pressed. She scoffed.

"Oh please, _that_ is your defense? You might as well get used to the fact that not _everyone_ is going to bend underneath your whim. There are over seven billion people on Earth, it is impossible for you to have _everyone_ be in the same boat. What will you do then? You cannot reach _everyone_ on Earth and turn _them _into slaves as well?"

He smirked at her remark, obviously enjoying it in some sick fashion. "I should think that after a while, I should not worry so much about having to bend _everyone _beneath me, but more so that they would know it is not wise to rise against me."

"But that will never happen," Jane added. "Humans will always fight. It is in their nature."

Loki shifted again, looking at her directly, studying. "That, I do not understand. They are well aware that my force outnumbers and overpowers their forces. I can easily obliterate any city at any given moment, and yet they continue to try to fight."

Jane blinked a few times, "The Earth is all we have. We have built it from nothing for a quite a few millenia. I do not know what your... _Asgard_ is, but your immortality hinders your definition of sentimentality. We _must_ defend the short life we have for all it's worth... And when that freedom is threatened, we _must_ fight. And we won't stop. We aren't immortal. If we all die, then this planet is finished with."

He considered that a moment, looking as though he was actually considering her words for once. "Hmm... _Indeed._ I do not believe I have heard any one explain that so thoroughly for me of human nature. I thank you for your quite impressive insight. You are indeed quite intelligent. I am impressed."

She couldn't believe her ears. She just _impressed_ him? She was unsure whether this was good or bad... Perhaps he would listen to _her _if he knew of her intelligence could match his.

"But I will not sway you." She pressed, knowing that the look in his eyes did not mean he was about to rebuke his earlier statement.

"No," he decided... at least he was honest. As honest as a God of Lies can be. "But you _will _help me," He added, nodding in acknowledgment to her point, and then took a bite from a piece of turkey on his plate.

She rolled her eyes once more, and then copied him, taking a bite from a buttered dinner roll, unsure she could currently digest a complicated substance such as a slice of turkey... no matter how much her stomach rudely grumbled.

"I will not wholeheartedly follow you. I merely follow because you threaten me," she stated as a matter-of-fact.

"And is that not wise? Would you not rather see your _precious Earth_ be saved because of your subservience rather than the violence that I pose against it? I do not wish to completely annihilate this realm as much more threatening forces might mean to. I mean to protect it. What would be left to fix? Those who are wise might see that subservience is the _only _way through this. And, as I see it, wise people tend to be followed more so than those who are not..." He explained just like he would have explained the alphabet to a four-year-old. Like it was an obvious occurrence. She grimaced.

"I don't know what you mean by 'protect' or 'fix'. I have only seen you destroy every city you step foot into. You kill and kill and when you're through you bend people to your beck and call. No matter what you think, you are not a _king_ or a _lord_, you are a dictator. Dictators are not looked upon fondly here."

His eyes narrowed to little slits, "Dictators do not have the divine right to rule. I have been gifted by the Gods, blessed with the power to control."

"From what I hear, you don't have that either." She spat, unable to contain her anger or his attitude any longer, dropping her fork onto the plate with a loud _clack_. "From what I hear, you're just a broken little boy trying to impress his father."

His eyes flashed with a terrible anger, and he stood up to his very _tall _height. He nearly threw the napkin from his lap to the ground, but instead, he quickly tossed it onto the table with an unfurling of his wrist.

"You know _nothing_," he snarled, "so you shall say _nothing! _You cannot even _begin_ to comprehend what I have done. I have lived several thousands of years before you were even _born. _Do not _mock_ me with what little knowledge you have of_ anything_ in this _existence_!" There was a sort of pain in his voice that convinced her of his words... Something behind his anger that she couldn't understand, considering he was so confident of himself beforehand. He seems to know what is going on at all times, and to see him lose control of his emotions was something she simply was not prepared for in her highly calculated discussion with him.

She silenced herself, remembering her place in this conversation. In his eyes, at least. She continued to glare at him, seemingly unmoved by his words, but she took them into consideration.

It was true, she knew very little of Loki based on the mythology she researched after Thor had left her. She felt obliged to know of what humans thought of them as back in the ancient times, when they were thought of to be Gods.

Her mind began to recall her research, _Loki: Shape shifter, sorcerer, trickster, liesmith, husband of Sigyn, the goddess of fidelity, father of monsters. _The lineage of the Gods was very subtle if not nonexistent within mythology. He was the brother of Thor, she knew for sure. Thor, apparently, was Prince of Asgard... which would make Loki a Prince as well. Then why would he desire to rule some other realm if he is in the lineage to rule a much better realm? There was some holes to this story. Holes that she would have to look into.

She was not entirely aware how accurate ancient society's depiction of the Gods were... She might have to ask sometime. Another Asgardian, though if she had the chance. Loki clearly wasn't the type to put up with someone's simple curiosity and selfish requests for knowledge.

Loki sat back down elegantly, regaining his composure after her silence. She continued to eat unsteadily, remembering just how hungry she really was.

There was something Thor didn't fill her in on... something much worse than simply being the bringer of chaos, harbinger of Ragnarok, God of Michief... She must know now... _Who is Loki, really?_

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Hey, is that a review button? I think it is! You should press it and then write something about what you think of the story! Constructive criticism is rewarded cookies.


	5. Chapter 4 (part 1)

**I am sooooo sorry for the wait! My life has been utterly confusing these past few days, and the small moments I had simply weren't cutting it to sit down and write. I'm extremely stressed about college, auditions, and marching band. I hate being a senior. I really do. No excuse, however. I won't speak for too long because I don't have much time to write this. However, I probably will be able to post the rest of this chapter soon, but no promises. **

**I AM SORRY, I love you guys. Thanks for reviewing and following, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know what you think of this relatively short chapter to hold you guys over to the real action. Reviews help A LOT. Oh, and the song I used in this is "Breath of Life" by Florence and the Machine (just saw her in concert-she's a goddess!)**

**-The Phantom's Flutist**

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Chapter 4 (part 1)

The King and Lionheart

_And my heart is the heart of life_

_For the devil to dance again_

_And the room is too quiet_

The dinner table was uncomfortably silent as she continued to eat her meal, the clanking of silver against china and her shallow breathing being the only sounds in the room.

She looked up periodically to see Loki slowly eating his food- a stark contrast to his brother who seemed to inhale whatever edible product was set before him.

She took the time to subtly observe him further. The way he sat in his chair... upright, proper posture, looking elegant in comparison to his earlier intimidating Asgardian garb. She met his gaze once during the entire meal, for he was most likely checking to see if she was actually staring at him—which she was, but it was embarrassing after that little exchange of words. He had a certain rehearsed grace about him that would make any other man in the room seem clumsy and it was... dare she say it, _attractive._

He _was _a Prince of a realm which is far more advanced than Earth or apparently all the other "realms" could possibly be. And she didn't know him. She didn't know Thor, either. All of the earlier observations she had made of the Asgardian people are pathetic and immature for she could not fathom the history of the God of Chaos or Thunder. They were truly aliens to her, but that did not make the pang in her chest that longed to know _more_ wither as much as the other, more frightened part of her mind would like it to.

She decided to finish her meal for the silence was stifling, and her curiosity was gnawing on her mind the longer it went unfed. Placing the napkin on her lap onto the table, and the fork onto the plate, she looked up to immediately meet green.

He rose from his seat and walked over to her, and she mimicked him, not wanting for him to leave her sight.

He lowered himself into a mocking bow, at the same time grabbing her hand delicately, leading it to his lips. "It was my pleasure," he pressed his surprisingly smooth, thin lips onto the knuckles of her hand and her body froze up, as if in reaction to a shock of energy. She pulled her hand away from his grasp as quickly as he took it. He looked up and resumed his six foot height, looking down at her.

"Do I not deserve a polite 'thanks?'" He added.

She glared at him. "The only thing you _deserve from me_is a bullet through your skull." She inhaled sharply, just figuring out she said the words that were meant to be only in her head, out loud. She covered her mouth in surprise.

"I apologize," She added, wondering in the back of her mind if he will drag out her death slowly or just let it be painless and short.

He smirked, but she couldn't tell whether it was from her reaction to her own words, or the very fact the words left her mouth.

"Don't," he breathed, "for it does not matter. A bullet couldn't kill me. You should know better."

Suddenly, he grabbed her forearms like a snake might grasp it's prey, and pulled her closer to him such that he could feel his breath along her hairline. "Besides," he laughed quietly to himself, "You would not kill me. Not even if I laid in your hands what _could_kill me right here... right now..."

She swallowed, for he was extremely close. His means of intimidation were rather intimate... It's like he knew what made her _tick_... What made her shudder with fear... For he was entirely correct. The smooth touch of his icy hands against her forearms, his breath which had the underlying smell of fine wine and alcohol, and_ his personal_smell which was reminiscent of a cold winter's night; it all intoxicated her. It left her dizzy, unable to think clearly, unable to form sentences. It was intentional. Everything Loki did had purpose. Such as the moves a hunter might make in order to stalk his prey.

"W-why w-would you s-say that?" She murmured, looking up into his eyes, which became two green slits.

"You mortals are so—how should I put it?- _predictable. _You do not have the _heart _to kill anyone."

"Y-you are so sure?" She asked, trying to muster all the strength within her to sound like she wasn't shaking like a leaf under his touch. He had he right where he wanted her, and she was completely engulfed in his very near presence. He took a hand and placed it underneath her chin, tilting her head up so she was directly staring into his eyes, another hand slid behind her neck. He was going to kill her.

_Oh, God... Oh please no_... _Make it fast_...

"Yet I could kill you right now. I could snap your neck as easily as one might snap a twig. But I shan't. Believe it or not, I do not kill without reason. And I have no reason and no justification to kill one such as you."

"Please... stop... I know-" Her pleading was silenced by the sudden press of cold lips against her neck. She froze in place, words failing her. His lips trailed along her neck, planting small kisses until...Until he lingered over the base of her neck, where there was a thick muscle and suddenly a very cold press of teeth which sunk down a bit _too _hard for her liking.

"Stopstopstopstop_stop!_" She screamed. "Why the _hell_ did you do that!?" She beat one fist against his chest, and then another, gaining momentum, and he stood there and let her punch him in the chest. But it was harming her fists more so than it was harming her. "You cruel _bastard_! You _fucking asshole!_" She shouted at him.

He was unmoved. He stared at her coldly and quietly until she stopped making up creative names for him, delivering pointless abuse until her knuckles were most likely bruised, and her breathing seemed to neutralize.

"Are you finished?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

She was wordless, and suddenly strangely calm.

"Very good. Now that I know you no longer wish to dine with me, I shall show you to your room."

Wait. _What_?

He grabbed her wrist tightly, such that she was sure the circulation in her hand had stopped, and led her toward the elevator silently.

The doors _ding_ed open and he pulled her inside like one might drag a pet on a leash.

"I..." She began, and he shot her a look.

"I believe you have had your share of words for now, my lady," he stated, silencing her. She obliged, knowing the next rash comment out of her lips might end in something less favorable than a little... bite on her neck.

The door _ding_ed open once more and revealed an entirely different floor then what she was used to be escorted down. This isn't where her room is. _Nice going, Jane_... _Now you've really pissed him off. _

His strides were twice as long as hers as he walked considering he had much longer legs, so he was basically mercilessly dragging her behind him for her legs simply wouldn't allow her to keep up with him. Every step he took was three of hers. There was no fighting it.

"_Please_, whatever you want to do with me..." She begged.

"You are so adamant about my killing or harming you. If I could or had any desire to kill you, I would have done so already. Multiple times." He waved his hand over the sight before her. It was a living area, complete with a sofa with pillow and blankets, bar, and television. It was decorated in the modern taste with light colors to compliment the wall-to-floor windows which now glowed in the once-beautiful city lights.

"What...?" She murmured, disbelievingly, her jaw fell open.

"Your last room was a prison. Hardly fitting."

"But... but why?!" She exclaimed, her mind exhausted in thinking through all the possible reasons why this would be happening. Perhaps because he knew she was working with David... David, who figured out an escape route, tortured, and then spat back into routine again. Perhaps he thought she was developing some sort of plan with him... Even though he was entirely independent. One would think he should know better, but she was hardly complaining.

"Once again, Miss Lewis, there is no reason I should have to explain my motives to you. If you are as intelligent as I would like to believe you are, then perhaps you might be able to deduce my logic." He explained coldly. _So she was right_. "I expect you to follow the same schedule. There is a bathroom to your right, extra towels and toiletries in the cabinets, and you shall find more clothing in the same closet. Make yourself comfortable, Miss Lewis. Should you try anything.. I suppose you know how _that_ ends. I will be watching."

He left quickly without any room to question, disappearing entirely from the room. She didn't move for a moment. Once again, he left her wordless, startled, and completely confused.

She settled onto the sofa, figuring that's the place she would be sleeping that night, and grabbed the blankets to pull around her, trying to get her from shaking... which she had been doing since she finished the dinner... since he _kissed_ her _neck_... and nearly bit it if she had not screamed.

Was this some sort of Asgardian ritual she wasn't aware of? It's like preparing the food before you eat it. His kindness she took in gratefully, however there was something _off_ about it. She was almost entirely sure he was aware that she had lied about her identity. And if that was the case...

She didn't want to think of what he possibly could have planned for her.

She felt sick. She rushed to where he told her the bathroom was, and regurgitated the remaining food in her stomach, her legs threatening to give out from underneath her.

There was absolutely no doubt that she had to leave. Loki was a poison that was seeping into her veins, her paranoia making her ill, and his madness... unpredictable. She was dealing with a man who almost killed his own brother out of cold blood hatred, who was taking over the entire world in pursuit to be its ruler...

She had to try to escape, even if it meant he torture her like he had David... She would learn from his mistakes. Perhaps if she could get David to tell her about what he did.

She was a strategist, an astrophysicist, and she graduated from MIT with a doctorate degree, she can outdo an Asgardian bratty prince.

At least, that's what she had to keep telling herself.

The following day, the sun was not as bright through the windows, for she had deduced she was on the other side of the tower... where the sun didn't rise. She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep in such an awkward position on the very large sofa. The pillows had fallen off the bed, and most of the sheets were on the floor, but she could care less.

She worked her way to the bathroom to take a shower finding every necessity she could possibly _need_within the bathroom cabinets. She blushed... How awkward. And considerate.

_Something wasn't right_, she told herself repeatedly. The God of mischief and chaos had a plan for her, and it was too hidden behind his refined nature and strange affections... Everything in her mind said_ no_.

She stripped down and stepped into the shower, waiting for the warm water to comfort her, to embrace her filthy body. She would be able to think straighter once she was less disgusting and dirty. She washed and untangled her mess of hair, trying hard to not rip it off of her scalp, scrubbing her body until she felt that she was utterly clean and free of any touch that Loki could have possibly placed upon her.

From then on she would no longer be that pathetic girl, weak from these days spent in the presence of a madman... she would fight for her freedom. At least... it all sounded good in her head.

She met with David when the guards came to fetch her and bring her to the laboratory. He met her eyes when she walked in, but instantly dropped it.

She approached him with purpose, strength in her step.

"I ate with Loki last night," She told him quietly. He looked at her, startled, as if he just saw a ghost. His eyes looked deep set into his skull, the bruises underneath his eyes were darker.

"You... call him_... by his name?_" He asked slowly.

She swallowed. David was not himself anymore. She looked deep into his eyes, searching any trace of blue, but was met with the usual brown.

"If he doesn't like his own name, that's his fault." She scoffed, nearly making fun of his subservience into Loki's power complex. But David... _Her_ David wasn't with her right at that moment. The way his eyes skittishly darted around the room, searching for _something_but finding nothing. The way his hands shook on the pad of paper he carried that was blank.

She took his shoulders, "David, focus," she said sternly, trying to meet his gaze. "You are _not_ under his control. You do not _belong_to him." He wasn't paying attention. She shook him. "Listen to me!" She said almost too loud, feeling like she was about to lose it right in front of Loki, in front of everyone that was presumably watching her now, but then quickly resumed their work.

David slowly met her gaze, seeing her... but not really looking at her. "The task he has given us is pointless without the tesseract. Unless he has it under his control, there is no portal, there is no _anything_. There is nothing. _Nothing_. Just this _darkness_... It's all a trick, it's just a lie..."

"We're leaving, David. We're going to leave."

"You're a fool!" He cried, taking her shoulders. "Let me die here. I wish to die. My life is pointless outside of these walls."

"Is that what he told you to think!?" She cried.

"It does not _matter anymore_. He has won. He always has won."

"You're pathetic!" She reached for a pen and paper behind him and began to write._ Tell me how you escaped. I will leave you here. David, please. I can fix this. I refuse to be stuck here._

David swallowed, looking into her eyes, the first bout of sincerity she had seen throughout the entire conversation was in his brow.

He reached for the notepad she held and began to scribble all the calculations, notes, and plans.

_Where room are you in?_

_The living area, a few floors down from the penthouse._

_Perfect. He told me he is leaving in two days, which I have figured all the security he has on this place will be loosened due to the lack of his power. The only people you should worry about are the guards, but they are no longer human... remember that. Their reflexes are quick, but there is no wit about them. The Chitauri soldiers you must AT ALL COSTS steer clear of. They will either kill you or maim you. Because of the lacking strength of his spells, you will be able to leave from here once he is on the other side of the world. I have already re-installed JARVIS, you must now simply use it. It is worth a try. Everything he keeps on us is psychological. Remember that. _

She looked up at him, her eyes watering. _What about you?_ She wrote.

_I am not leaving. _He replied, and then folded the note and stuck it into her jean pocket. _If you succeed, do not linger on Manhattan. Find transportation instantly. Find SHIELD. Give them all of the information. And do not forget me. How I was... how we were... I will never be the same, I am afraid. _

She nodded, swallowing back the knot in her throat, and pulled him into a quick, yet tight, embrace

"I need you over here to work on the arch. The energy tests have been above average when placed about the arc reactor, which is a power source, I should assume, that is similar to Loki's tesseract-" he continued, clearing his throat.

_I was looking for the breath of a life_

_A little touch of a heavenly light_

_But all the choirs in my head say no, oh oh_


	6. Chapter 4 (part 2)

**Yeah, I said this update would come faster, and it did! I'm afraid the next one will take a bit longer, however. I hope you guys enjoy this as we get closer to some real action. Please let me know how you feel about this, thoughts, questions... anything.  
**

**I'll let you know that all of the questions that have been asked in reviews so far will be answered very soon. Thanks for your support/follows/favorites/reviews, however there can never be too little reviews, so please let me know what you think!**

**Also, just a reminder that I have a writing Tumblr, which is thephantomsflutist . tumblr. com. My personal one is bandgeekingout.**

**As for the music in this, I was listening to Isolated System by Muse from their newest album that came out a few days ago. As you can see I'm a huge Alternative Rock/ Indie fan. I suggest you listen to it even if you don't like Muse because it's pretty mesmerizing. **

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The King and Lionheart

Chapter 4 (part 2)

David no longer looked at her. She should have caught it, but the note he wrote to her, explaining in explicit detail how exactly she could attempt to escape was his way of saying "goodbye." Any motion she made toward him in the laboratory the following day was in vain and she was alone. She could not explain the reasoning behind it all, but she was assured that he knew much more about Loki than she could hope to at that moment.

She settled into her room with a particular sort of comfort in the knowledge that within the next 24 hours she may or may not have to return to her prison. Yes, the room was quite comfortable, but a prison is a prison no matter how you put it. Her mind was never at ease.

In the morning of the second day before Loki was supposedly leaving, she sat at the emptied bar, fiddling around in search of the remote that powered the television that hung off of the wall. She found it where it most likely had been left last, just under the mixers and next to an expensive-looking bottle of whiskey.

Her hand lingered over a bottle of whiskey, wondering just how much it would take to drown her mind... possibly drown her life as well in the elongated haze from what some cultures call "poison."

She shook her head, moving her hand away, back toward what she was really looking for. At least she knew there was alcohol when she needed it, and having originally taken no comfort in its effects before, she honestly could not believe that her mind was swayed _now _to take advantage of it.

She pressed down the "power" button, and waited for the television to come to an actual image, but instead, much to her disdain, it was entirely static. She flipped the channel... again and again until she desperately hoped to see a made-up face with a microphone to report something..._anything _good that could possibly be happening in the outside world besides the human race turning into something frightening.

After much looking, she found some channels that came in through the television, but they were only a set of warnings for the Manhattan area with lists of where dangerous fires were occurring, or what clean up crews went where... at least there was some sort of cable or satellite. There was a news channel, but it was only the same broadcast she had seen on the television the day she was kidnapped.

"_Christians are calling it the Rapture, others, World War III; what government officials are saying _you _can do to prepare _your _families for what could possibly come. More details later tonight on Fox News at 11._" A woman reported, her makeup smeared in the corner of her eye, her cheeks flushed . Behind her was the debris of the Chicago "battle" as they called it. Footage replayed of Captain America using a shield to cover citizens from falling embers and the alien weapons which fired seemingly at random.

"It is a lovely device, is it not?" She turned from her seat at the bar quickly, to find Loki casually reclining on one of the couches.

She screamed at the sudden sight. "You can't just barge into my room. What if I was... indecent?"

He smirked, and then shook his head. "You are incorrect, for I did not '_barge' _into your room. You should find that I do not 'take the stairs' as one might say."

"That gives you no right to just appear out of nowhere! This is _my_room, as you said it was." She defensively stated, trying with all her might not to lash out on him again.

"This is my realm. I should think that everything on the face of it belongs to me now."

"It is _not_your realm yet! And it never will be!"

He shook his head again, and rose from his seat on the couch to meet her eye level.

"You are very misguided. You have faith in a losing side."

"We have not lost yet."

"You _have_lost, Lady Lewis. Gravely so, I'm afraid." He responded. "Your forces are scattered, your politicians failing, and your people are preparing for the worst. I do not believe there is much of a chance in winning, hmm?"

She refused to argue with him, shook her head in the negative just to please him, and then turned the barstool she was sitting on to face the counter and hid her head in her hands.

"I did not come here to argue. I came to tell you that I would like you to come with me to New Zealand tomorrow."

_Shit_. Her heart sank into her stomach and she felt herself began to shake, but she didn't turn around to face him, still, burying her head further into her arms.

"You would _like me to_? Meaning I have no choice in the matter, right?"

"I suppose you should have a choice in the matter," he had no hesitation to explain her choices, for it was obviously something he already supposed she would ask. "You could either come with me and I will treat you as my own, or you shall stay here under high security and your freewill will be stripped from you. That is fair, yes?"

She was befuddled, and felt like banging her head against the counter top, or divulging in all of the expensive liquors until she had alcohol poisoning... She could simply die in so many ways right now, but that would be giving in...

"Somehow, I do not think you know the meaning of _fair_," She hissed back, still refusing to turn around and look at him.

"One can not know the meaning of fair if it has never been shown to them." He mocked her with the same tone of voice.

She lingered in silence for a moment, closing her eyes, and tried to think straight for a moment before turning to face him.

"Well? What is your choice, my lady?" He pressed. She flinched at the formality he uses, calling her his "lady."

"How is that any sort of ultimatum?" She spat, rolling her eyes and turned in the barstool to face green eyes that were closer than she thought they were. She felt sick, and started to shrink into her seat. "Why would anyone _choose_to be a slave to you!?"

"You would be surprised the lengths that one might go in order to work for me," He replied coolly, his hands clasping lazily behind his back.

"You force them." She spat.

"That is not entirely true for some cases. Relax, Nicole," he began, sighing as if he carried a very heavy weight on his shoulders—which he did. "You should learn that you are wasting your energy by resisting. I wish you would simply let it rest-"

"You haven't let your war 'simply let it rest' a moment have you?"

He inhaled sharply, obviously tiring of her constant contradiction, but she would not give in. He shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips, wisps of wild black hair falling out of the usual combed-back style and framed his face. He suddenly looked almost... humanized, even if he was still wearing Asgardian garb, decorated gold plates and black leather making him look like the God he was. The one piece of thin black hair that was not smoothly combed back gave him one flaw in his ethereal appearance, which was just enough to give her that extra kick of confidence.

"I suggest you to silence your tongue." He spat coldly.

She looked at him boldly, doing as he said, in fear of another event like last night. She knew it was her physical wellness that was being threatened dare she say something more that might offend him.

"Very good. Now, if you please... what have you decided? Will you be accompanying me, my lady?" He asked carefully, sounding as if he was actually really curious whether she would rather spend time with him than be forced to do something much less favorable... like having your mind taken from you.

She swallowed harshly, her hand tightening its grip on the back of the bar stool that her knuckles turned paper white.

"Yes, I suppose I will," She murmured solemnly.

He smiled brightly, for this seemed to please him far too much. Her stomach lurched.

"Very well. I shall have your necessities packed for you," if he had been a cat, he would be purring with his success.

She didn't know what to say to him, not wanting to please him much more, but she had to get down to her escape plan tonight. There was no other way. She couldn't simply leave the country with a psychotic dictator. It just didn't sound right.

He grabbed her hand firmly, and pressed a kiss onto her knuckles once again, as was his new departing ritual. She shuddered, feeling his smooth yet calloused hands... She didn't pull away from his grasp this time.

"I shall see you in the morning," he announced as he casually disappeared into a shadow.

"Good riddance," She muttered, and then lay onto the sofa where he was just sitting. Now that she was free from any Norse God influence for a moment, she looked to the droning television.

"_Stay tune for any further updates regarding the list of surrendering countries. God help us all," _ the reporter solemnly looked into the camera before the it cut to the repeat of the same report that had been put on loop on the television station, stringing together pictures of destruction around the world. The roads of Vienna had large chunks taken out from explosives, the gardens of Paris destroyed, St. Petersburg rebels lying dead on the street. God had nothing to do with it.

She lunged for the remote and turned the television off, unsure of why she even bothered.

She had to think straight. _There had to be a way out of this, _she kept telling herself, feeling lightheaded.

"JARVIS?" She asked out loud, to an obviously empty room... and she felt quite like an idiot. Only the wind that passed the tower answered. "So much for that," She felt ridiculous, wondering just how lonely Tony must have been to wire the entire with an automated butler who converses with him...She learned all about the creation of it on _Modern Marvels_, however the logistics behind it were questionable.

It didn't matter, anyway. Loki must have undone David's work in re-programming it, which meant there was absolutely no way she could unlock locked doors, or convince it to somehow turn against Loki's soldiers so she could even bother to escape. The next best thing would be flinging a chair at the glass window and jump for she might as well with this ill-developed escape plan.

She huffed in defeat as she buried herself into a pillow, feeling like crying, but found herself too numb to do so.

She waited for the guards to drag her off to the laboratory, but they did not come. She grew in suspicion. Perhaps Loki heard David tell her how pointless the research they were doing was, that anything she did would be unhelpful as was the rest of the workers without the tesseract. How could she be so stupid? How could she believe that what David said to her would pass by unheard? She screamed in frustration at the fact she was losing. Losing- as if this was a game.

"_Jane," _her head jerked up and she blinked a few times, trying to come to terms that a disembodied voice was now calling to her. She must be going mad. "_Jane Foster,_" she heard again, and then begged the voice to stop calling her by her actual name. "_No, sweetheart, you're not hearing voices, head toward your left and you'll find where this is coming from." _

She rose from her seat, feeling like she could trust any disembodied voice that did not speak as if it belonged in some other time period.

"What's... going on?" She asked, looking at a stone wall intently, as if waiting for something to pop out at her.

"_Lean down and you'll find a little black cell phone-like device," _Said the voice. She looked down to her feet, and there lay a black box with a little screen that glowed a blue.

"Who am I talking to?" She asked, looking suspiciously at the device in her hand.

"_Tony Stark, at your service_," it replied. Smugly.

A smile came to her lips.

"_The_Tony Stark?" Her eyes widened, letting the fact she was talking to her scientific idol sink in a little farther. "How? How is this possible? What's going on?

"_The one and only. Now, sweetheart, I can't explain the logistics, but if you make it out of what I'm about to tell you, you can have all the explaining you want. Deal?_"

"Yeah!... I mean, yes, of course. What am I going to do? What if Loki is listening?"

"_I've blocked the little shit from your room entirely, so whatever is going on in this room to his little security guards, will not escape this room unless I say it does. So focus on what I am about to tell you. Your friend David has set up a security breach in the network system, which is what Loki uses to know what is going on throughout my tower. When I give the cue, he will deliver a blow to the system that will set off the guards entirely, temporarily disregarding the energy surrounding Loki's magic, thanks to your research in the energy surrounding Loki's power."_

She couldn't help but smile, embracing the fact that Tony Stark nearly complimented her on her work. After a long history of her work being labeled as not useful within the scientific community, her research funds being hard to come by, and no one taking her seriously, this had to be the epitome of her career... and she was celebrating it while being held prisoner.

"So, what do I do?" She asked.

"_Well_... _that's the hard part. You're going to have to run for your life until I am able to access you... Preferably around windows or walls. You might want to duck. I have been hacking into the newly-programmed system and finding my suit. It will, unfortunately, be very rough. You up for it?"_

She would have obliged to rip off her right leg if Tony Stark had told her to at that moment. "Yes, definitely. One question- don't take offense to this- but why haven't you come earlier?"

There was silence on the end and she instantly regretted saying it. "_I know this is a little unbelievable but I have been blocked from accessing my own tower since Loki has commandeered it. He has some sort of... energy over it that blocks all outside forces from intruding, and thanks to David, that can be temporarily broken."_

"But his power cannot be overridden..."

"_Think of it as placing a magnet over a television... The television is not being overridden, the particles are being confused. Makes sense, right? However, there has not been enough research in that we can _always_ override any other _power_... It is worth a try._" He explained calmly.

"Makes sense. So what do I do now?"

"_Wait for the signal, sweetheart. Keep this in your pocket at all times, and I will try my best to guide you."_

She nodded, feeling excitement overwhelm her. Finally, there was some sort of force out there that could defy Loki, one that was not herself. It just showed he was not all-powerful... there was a glitch in his system... A loophole. He may consider himself a God, but he was far from it.

"_And Jane?" _She swallowed her nerve as Tony added one more thing, "_My buddy with a mean swing over here is wishing you luck." _

Her heart seemed to be shocked awake.

"Thor?" She gasped. Thor was near, then. That alone gave her hope. So why wasn't _he_ coming for her, instead? Does he not know his brother enough that he could not combat him?

"_Yeah, him. I've got to go. Listen for the signal_." And with that, the device hummed until it shut off.

And so she waited.

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**Oh boy, things are going to get really interesting! Woo! So what should you do? Oh, that's right- leave a review! **


	7. Chapter 5

**Now this was incredibly frustrating.I had to write and then re-write this chapter three times because the stupid Open Office program claimed that the file was "corrupt" and then subsequently deleted it from my saved documents. So it took me forever not to mention a lot happens. So here's the product of a few days of frustration on top of a stressful week. Please let me know what you think! It was really fun to write.**

-The Phantom's Flutist

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The King and Lionheart

Chapter 5

Jane had been waiting an anxiety-filled hour for the "signal" that was to be delivered to cue her to take action and escape. She sat on the floor next to the floor-to-ceiling window, her legs crossed, and her head leaning down on her arms.

The rain pelted against the window whenever the wind blew in the right direction, creating trails of the raindrops down the side of the window.

Down below, it looked like people were taking advantage of the rain to take a break. A cleansing, perhaps. There was the occasional businessman who urgently walked, his briefcase swinging in one hand, and umbrella and the other. Oh, what must it be like to be living a normal life, she mused. They worried about Loki's reign, sure, but they did not have to face the Norse God himself on a daily basis, teasing them until they were as much of a psychological mess as she was.

She had half the mind to wish for a normal life after this escape attempt, though she knew that was never going to happen. Half of her wished to never resume her research again, to forget that there was even an Asgard out there because she was so frightened.

However, the other half thirsted for _more_ information. This is everything she's ever dreamed of as a child. She never wanted to believe that humans were alone in this gigantic universe, which is apparently larger than she had expected. She had never considered that there were nine other_ realms_ that had a history that spanned thousands upon thousands of years. She wanted to know what these immortals were like, what entertained them, what caused them to cause wars, what saddened them.

After all, Asgardians did not look entirely different from humans albeit the fact that Thor and Loki are both larger than life in person... Thor with his massive muscle, cape, and the armor, and Loki with his cunning intelligence, cat-like graces, and height. Not to mention the other Asgardians she met while in New Mexico when Loki had sent the Destroyer were just as characteristically stunning as Thor had been. She longed to go to that world Thor spoke of with such _reverence_, the beauty in his words intrigued her to no end, and everything was just so _curious_...

If Loki wasn't attacking her world, perhaps there would have been communication between the two worlds. She would learn of their culture and technology and perhaps use it for _good_rather than Loki's violent purposes. Those who doubted her research and theories would then have their tables turned, and she would be respected by other scientists outside of SHIELD. She would attempt to assimilate a culture which humans had once worshiped to benefit Earth's presence in the universe, for obviously they were a bit behind.

But none of that could be achieved with Loki. His perceptions of humanity are distorted, and his hopes of bettering Earth's human society are in vain. There was no doubt in her mind that he had to be defeated...

"_Jane_," Said the small device from her left. She leaned down toward it to listen and see if _this_ was the time, "_Now_."

She leaped up from the floor and rushed towards the door handle. It moved from side-to-side rather than being completely unmovable, which would be from a spell or enchantment of Loki's. That meant she could devise a plan to break in through the door such as she once had back in her days at University when she locked herself out of her own dorm room. Unfortunately, she did not have a credit card, door hanger, or bobby pin.

She looked around the room to find an object that would be useful in wedging between the door and the door frame, trying to think as clearly as possible.

Finally, she found a business card on one of the coffee tables that was thick enough that it could have about the same density as a credit card. She sprinted back toward the door and placed it into the crevice. She moved the card up and down until she could put it between the wedge and the flat part of the metal piece. She heard a _click_, and the door finally opened.

_Easy enough_, she thought, throwing the card aside and stepped carefully out into the hallway. She looked both ways for the possible guard that might be watching her. Much to her surprise, the hall was empty.

She tried to ignore the fact that JARVIS, one of the most highly intelligent computer systems in America, was currently spewing random information through the computer systems, going completely into malfunction. Tony Stark seemed to be planting a virus into his own control system in order to break into his own tower... How incredibly odd.

She didn't think further on the logistics of _just how_ she was escaping the tower considering this was being guarded by the most powerful man on the planet, but she assumed that he was being kept busy. She could only pray that it was working, for one could not guess the extent of Loki's power.

She found the door to the stairs and began to run down, trying to not think her legs were hurting already considering they have been in inactivity for the past two weeks or so. She was not used to this physical exertion and her entire body began to ache starting from her legs to her torso. Her legs simply did _not_want to move fast, but her mind worked against it. She could only hope that she would not fall down the dozen stories it would take to finally reach the first floor.

There were footsteps running _up_the stairs. Her heart skipped a beat, figuring that it might as well just end now. Much to her surprise, however, the three guards that she heard running up the stairs paid no mind to her. They looked right past her as if she did not exist. She obviously was not apart of their orders that Loki had given them. Relieved, she continued moving, acting as if she had a purpose for being in the staircase through her expression, rather than looking like a deer in headlights.

It felt like an eternity, running _down, down, down_ the stairs, for they spiraled downward. As she knew every building was required to have them in case of fire, but if there was truly an emergency she most likely would have died in whatever the threat was by the time she reached the final floor.

Several guards pushed past her as she ran, and she became more and more hopeful that she would not be recognized in this moment of panic. It was only mere minutes now that they would finally figure out she escaped.

There certainly was hope.

She arrived on the final floor after twelve stories of stairs, her legs feeling like they were going to give out at any moment, and exited the stair case coming into the main lobby with the glass doors that led to the stormy outside. She braced herself, running towards the doors, nearly crying with exertion and fear, and pushing past all of the people who even moved to go against her.

She was _so close_... She could almost taste the rain...

There was a _click _in her ear. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm. Her heart sank.

"Don't move or I'll shoot," a familiar voice threatened.

She swallowed, not saying anything until she turned toward the source of the voice, only to find David holding a barrel of a shotgun to her head.

"David, what are you _doing_!?" She cried, looking at the barrel with wide eyes before looking back to the one who held it.

"Put your hands in front of you, do _not_move," David ordered with the coldness of a military officer.

She did as he said, feeling incredibly betrayed.

"He's making you do this, isn't he?" She asked breathlessly, "He doesn't own you, you can fend for yourself... _David_..." She pleaded, close to hysterics.

"I must do this. He threatened my family... He threatened to harm me... You must do as I ask..." He stated coldly.

_His family_, she noted in her head, of whom she had no idea existed. He never told her anything about relatives even though she told her the story behind hers no matter how delicate the situation.

Figures. That was the _last_ time she would disclose any information about herself. Especially not to someone she hardly knew. She felt more than betrayed now, feeling like her friend had just walked off a ledge into an empty abyss. David _was_ the only person she could trust now, and he's gone...

She lost... She had failed Tony Stark, her lifelong idol, simply because she wasn't strong enough or fast enough... She was so _stupid_ to think any of this would work... What was wrong with her?

She was grabbed by the forearms by two guards who appeared behind David, and began to drag her back toward the elevator of the tower, back into the prison.

The elevator doors _ding_ed shut, sealing her fate. She had already accepted the fact that she was going to either be killed or tortured upon encountering Loki for rebelling against him, although she strongly desired the latter.

She felt the elevator continue to ascend, and she could almost guess she was going up to the penthouse where Loki was most likely currently residing for the time being.

She swallowed nervously when the doors opened, and she was quite literally thrown out of the elevator, to land face-first onto the cold-hard floor.

David walked in slowly but confidently, and paused, standing to her left, and reluctantly knelt down. "My Lord," he murmured in a way that one who did not truly know him would mistake for reverence, but Jane knew he still did not mean that, no matter how much he has betrayed her.

"Well, well..." Loki _tsk_ed his tongue and she heard his footsteps pad against the floor as he approached both of them. "I am _very_disappointed to say the least," he was mocking them, she could just tell. "The moment I found out David had concocted an escape plan, I expected something brilliant- something I could have difficulty to foil, however this was not difficult at all. It was pathetic."

She tried to peel herself off the floor, but her legs were simply too weak. She barely managed to roll her body up onto her heels, and lean against her outstretched arms on the floor. Her eyes followed Loki as he slowly walked forward.

"But your attempt did manage to hinder my plans, and that simply can not do," He slowly walked forward.

"You lied! You promised-"

"You must remember you are speaking to the God of Lies himself... Are you so much of an idiot to realize you served no purpose?"

"Don't harm her!" David pleaded, as Loki came closer to him, standing over him such that the comparison between the two could be similar to a skyscraper and a home.

"Ah! Is this love?" Loki chuckled darkly, and then looked down to Jane who couldn't find it in her to say anything. "I daresay I know more about your little lover than you do, David. Had she not told of her past lovers?"

David looked back at him defiantly, pressing his lips shut.

"It does not matter anymore, now does it? But you should know there is more than one liar in the room." Loki's thin lips twisted into a chilling grin, his forest green eyes glowing with amusement. "However, I grow tired of your rebellious slights, and you must be punished as does she."

A scepter began to form in Loki's hand, a glowing blue orb on the opposite end with a very sharp knife-like point. It was incredibly foreign, and it was threatening enough that Jane knew to shrink away from it as he approached.

"It is a shame I must do this, you have such _heart,_" Loki's voice was filled with obviously fake empathy as he approached and lowered the scepter to be pointed directly at David's chest. His entire body tensed as if inhaling a fume. His veins along his neck turned black, as did the whites of his eyes such that they were entirely black.

Jane knew what was happening right then. She threw herself upward, and lunged towards Loki, attempting to knock the scepter out of his hand to stop it, but the back of his other arm was thrown directly into her stomach, and she fell backwards. David stood up, still very tense, but his shoulders slumped to their usual position and he stood emotionless, and faced Loki straight on. His eyes now took on the odd shade of blue all of the guards and scientists from the lab had.

"Continue your duties in the lab, David," Loki ordered, a smile of satisfaction forming on his lips.

"Yes sir," David replied, without any reluctance, fear, or resistance.

"You evil bastard!" Jane exclaimed after a pregnant pause, attempting to stand up again, but her legs wobbled underneath her. "He was _all_ I _had_!" She cried in disbelief, falling onto her bottom, and covered her face with her hands as she began to cry.

"How befuddling... He betrayed and nearly killed you and yet you still pine after him? You knew _nothing_ about him. Were you not suspicious? Have you any idea of his past?" Loki chuckled. "He has murdered before... in the service of killers and liars. His family is slowly falling apart, and he has betrayed SHIELD multiple times before. Do you honestly know nothing about him?" He asked.

"How can I trust what _you_ say!?" Jane exclaimed, looking up through her hands, wiping her tears away.  
Loki laughed quietly, letting the scepter disappear. "You can't," he replied. "However, I tell no lie at this moment. You either trust me or live in ignorance of what is true. Your little lover is not who you might think he is... However, that must not be the second time this has occurred for you."

Jane looked up, uncertain of what he meant. "_What_?" She breathed, feeling her heart drop.

"You know what I speak of," Loki continued, and began to walk away with his hands behind his back as she collected herself off of the ground slowly.

"You do not know me."

"On the contrary, my lady, I know very much about you. More than you might think. Thor might just be disappointed."

It was obvious. He smirked as he saw the realization dawn in her eyes.

"Jane Foster, astrophysicist, pulled from New Mexico, lover of Thor..." Loki continued slowly, and then glared at her through heavy lidded eyes, "Close your mouth, Miss Foster, it is unflattering to see you so gravely shocked like that. Now, I am not sure_ why_ you would lie to the God of Lies, it is very... dim-witted of you. Not when I have _heard so much_of your intelligence." Without even realizing it, she was cornered, her back against the table, and his face was inches away from her own. He raised two fingers to her jaw line, looking directly at her eyes, and when she tried to look away, her would jerk her head back.

"You were frightened of me. The Destroyer compromised your town out of my anger, and you knew what I am capable of, so you lied. You lied because you thought I would use you as bait... that I would harm Thor because of you, when in truth..." He pulled away momentarily which caused the images that flashed through her minds eye to pause. She knew what was happening. She felt bile rolling up through her throat, disgusted. "I would hurt him if he bothered to step foot towards me within a ten mile radius.

"Get out of my mind!" She jerked in his grasp, pulling against him violently, but he would not budge. She balled her hands into fists and pressed against his chest, wishing she could get a good angle at his face and punch that as well, but there would be no point... She would only break her hand.

"You are correct, Miss Foster, there is no point. You must stop. Breathe. Relax," he coaxed gently, his other long arm extended around the small of her waist, "You will only injure yourself if you continue. Now, if you please-" Two fingers pressed along her jaw line once more. "My, you are very frightened," He whispered into the nape of her neck like a strange sort of embrace, "I scare you so? Then I am truly curious how you would have survived if I had went through with my original plan when you arrived..." A shiver swept through her body, "However, you have caught my attention..."

"Please, stop... Get out of my mind... Stop..." She pleaded pathetically until he pulled away.

"Oh, dear Jane..." he sighed as if admiring a piece of art. "I hardly believe Thor deserves you."

"Thor is a better man than you could ever hope to be," She defended bitterly. If he was going to torture her with his intimacy, than she would return it. But she immediately wished she held her tongue.

His arm grasped hers harshly, nearly cutting off all circulation. "You do _not_ know him," He hissed through his teeth, "You know nothing of who he is. I suppose he did not tell you of _why_he was sent to Earth, hmm? Thor is a full-bred warrior. He has killed just as many, if not more, than I have out of his warrior's blood. You ignorant wench, you would do well to not mention his idiotic name again!" He let go of her arm, and she sighed with relief, considering his words.

"He's your brother..." Jane murmured.

Loki turned from her, and faced the window, "He is _not_ my brother, and he never-" Something crashed, followed by a loud _thump. _Jane jerked her head toward where Loki was _once_ standing. He was on the floor, now, the window shattered, and one of the sofas had been thrown back.

She couldn't think fast enough to scream or react before she saw the famed Iron Man standing where he just shattered the window, and turned, the glowing eyes looking directly at her.

"You coming?"


	8. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! I'm not dead after all! The hurricane came and passed with relatively minimal damage to my personal life, although my condolences to those who had it much, much worse off. For those who have the opportunity-donate, donate, donate... I traveled through the area hit hard, and I am unsure I have seen such a thing in my life. **

**Anyways, I thought I would have had a chance to post a bit earlier last week, but life, as it is, demands much more attention than my muse. I believe I'm kind of off hiatus for a while, as the plot begins to thicken. This is kind of a bridge chapter, if you will. Albeit, a long bridge chapter, but Thor comes into the scene. You guys should know, I have a high respect for Thor. He's a great guy and a teddy bear. I don't want to totally disregard his possible affections for Jane just because I like Loki more. I want Thor to have a fighting chance at Jane's heart. I don't understand the people who regard Thor as a dull idiot, because he is most definitely not. Since the events of _Thor, _he knows just what he is doing, and he's a changed man, but not in the most positive ways.  
**

**So, enjoy this long(ish) chapter and I expect to update sometime later this week, but no promises.  
**

**Let me know what you think!  
**

**-The Phantom's Flutist  
**

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The King and Lionheart

Chapter 6

Jane couldn't believe her eyes. Instead of the slow motion like how movies portray a dramatic action scene, it happened as if someone pressed the fast forward button to a DVD player.

Tony Stark in all of his Iron Man glory blasted Loki halfway across the room with whatever came out of his hands on the suit. Once Loki was temporarily weakened, and on the ground yet to jump up in rebound of the blast, the Iron Man ran toward Jane quickly.

"Get on my back," Said Tony Stark, kneeling down to her level. She looked at him in fear, foreseeing her not being strong enough to hold on, but looked over to where Loki was quickly recovering from the blow and wrapped her arms tightly around the robot neck, and her legs around the torso like how her father used to sling her onto his back when little Jane didn't want to walk any further. At least, that's a less violent reference. Her father couldn't fly.

However, she had flown before, with Thor... _Thor_.

Her reverie was broken the moment she felt her body being thrown into the air. Before she knew it, the streets and buildings of Manhattan were below her feet. Her hair wildly flew as the Iron Man carefully flew up and up... Eventually, she shut her eyes so she wouldn't be queasy, but it wasn't long after until she felt herself become steady.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself on the top of a skyscraper, the wind whipping through her hair, and the rain falling only in a scattered fashion. Nevertheless, it was chilly for a summer day, and it was too much. One moment her very safety and state of mind was being threatened by Loki, the next she was over twenty stories above ground on a rooftop about to fly away in a strange air jet.

"You alright, sweetheart?" Tony Stark turned toward her, as she most likely looked dumbfounded. She nodded slowly and he started to guide her toward the jet.

A door opened in the rear of the jet, revealing a military-like passenger area. At the very front in the pilot's seat was a red-headed woman with large headset on.

Tony took off the Iron Man helmet, revealing his widely-known face that has appeared on countless magazines, advertising, and television shows. Any American would know him on spot, just as one might know the face of their favorite celebrity. How odd she would meet him, much less see him, in a situation like this, where he was saving her.

"The almighty reindeer didn't hurt you, right?" He asked as she settled into one of the seats. She shook her head slowly, feeling like her voice wasn't about to come back. The jet wobbled as the engine rumbled to a start. Tony rolled his eyes, and then looked over to the woman up front. "Natasha, hurry up, will you? We don't need to be tracked."

Her mind filled in the blanks. Natasha Romanov, also known as the Black Widow, part of the superhuman Avengers. Odd, she decided, considering she thought most of the Avengers were under control or taken hostage, as the news had told her before. The other mere human she knew of in the group, Hawkeye, was in custody. Perhaps she had a way of getting out of whatever situation they were put in that he didn't, for she didn't look like she wouldn't be intelligent or fast-thinking. If she worked for SHIELD, she would have a sort of experience in the area of being a spy, so it made sense.

The jet started to rise vertically such as a helicopter might, and then started to take off into the skyline away from Manhattan.

"I don't get it..." She began stupidly, finding her voice after all this time. "How... how did you... what.."

She was making a fool of herself in front of _the _Tony Stark. She felt her cheeks flush a bright red.

"Sorry, sweetheart. I didn't want to cause you too much distress because I didn't know what kind of, er... state you were in when I first contacted you. You were going to be a distraction such as the virus I put into JARVIS. The virus that made the entire tower go awry helped you nearly escape, even though I am surprised you got _that_ far, and the fact you were escaping was just enough for me to get my suit..." he shook his head slowly, "breaking in to my own tower has should never be this difficult... that little shit..." He looked quite devastated-as one should when something is heartlessly stolen from them.

Her brow furrowed. "So you were planning on letting me do that this entire time!?" She exclaimed before she even thought about what came out of her mouth, tired of being played like this.

"I'm sorry, Jane-I can call you 'Jane', right? I figured since we're already so close—anyway, there was not much I could do. I am surprised that this plan even worked, but considering Loki himself is still learning Earth's technologies once he's been temporarily stripped away from his army of worker bees in the hive, he's a relatively easy nerve to tap."

"Stark, we're coming up on some... disturbances," Natasha noted from behind. "You're going to want to see this," she added. Tony worked his way to the front of the jet, sitting next to Natasha, looking at the radar.

Jane stood up and followed Tony, curious, even though she would rather shut her eyes and wish for all of this to simply end.

"They seemed to have caught our scent," Natasha continued, although she did not seem entirely distressed. Any signs of emotion were well-guarded, save for the pouted lip and the movement of her eyes. It was almost disturbing in itself, like she was simply a trained monkey of SHIELD's. She supposed it would be necessary, but it did not make for effective social skills.

"Faster, then," Stark pressed, "It won't be long until we're concealed."

Natasha nodded and then continued steering the jet.

"You might wanna sit, Jane," Tony suggested, looking to her at his side.

"Where are we going?" Jane asked, feeling like a lost child.

"The only safe house we have right now—the helicarrier," he replied, taking hold of one of the handles at the sides of the passenger area.

Jane was about to ask what he meant by "helicarrier", she assumed some sort of aircraft created specifically for SHIELD such as the jet she currently was in, however, the jet began to slow, nearly pausing in the air. She looked out the small window that the passenger end of the jet was provided, and slowly being revealed was a very large aircraft, on all sides were propellers such as a helicopter might have, but the very body of it was an aircraft carrier, with a few jets similar to the one she was in, windows that suggested quarters where one could walk... the helicarrier. She was fascinated, to say the least.

"Watch your step," Tony warned as the door opened to reveal the platform, surrounded by several men who began to tie the jet down into place. The intense wind from the outside of the aircraft fanned her hair over her face, and she felt the hand of the Iron Man suit being placed over her shoulders, as if, had he let go, she would be lost to the wind.

They began dismounting from the jet and quickly and carefully walked toward the door to the interior of the massive aircraft. Jane felt as if one wrong move and she would fly off the jet, however, she was too mentally tired to figure out how, exactly, was she not dead from the air pressure.

She walked in to several SHIELD agents in their obligatory black suits, headsets in their ears, scurrying about to accommodate the new arrivals.

She found several more people when entering the deck with several screens all pinpointing different areas of the map, highlighting several countries as either red, green, or yellow. Green, she figured for there were very few pinpoints on the map that had a liberal amount highlighted, were countries that had not surrendered or had not been touched by Loki's forces. Loki had not touched most African nations besides South Africa and Nigeria. United States, United Kingdom, and Germany as well as a few other more developped nations were among the countries who were highlighted in mostly yellow and red. Yellow, perhaps meant that there was conflict, red, completely conquered. Yellow, of course, was the color of the Middle East, Russia and China... she could not possibly imagine the conflict that was arising there. The masses of historically stubborn rebels would not stop fighting... although they also have shown to be subservient to the higher powers.

"How is this not blown out of the sky?" She found herself wondering out loud. It made no sense.

"We have kept out of sight of any major conflict areas, remaining virtually nonexistent to any radar, any telephone signal, or even plain sight," Natasha, who had been quietly standing beside her in the entrance to the deck, explained. "Much thanks to the intelligence of Stark technology," She added acidly. She wasn't favorable of their alliance, Jane noted, or perhaps, with her exotic beauty, a case of the sour grapes.

Jane was amazed by the concept, for it seems much too ahead of its time, but then again, SHIELD had more than enough money on their hands. Even in the most desperate times as the world is on a steady decline and they have been beaten over and over...

"Miss Foster," A deep voice called, breaking her out of her reverie. A man approached, dressed to obviously state his importance just by walking into a room, with a trench coat and eyepatch covering previous battle wounds. He meant business. She shrunk at the very look at him, feeling incredibly small. "Director Fury," he stated, "I am pleased to see that you are not dead, as most of us were led to believe due to your sudden disappearance. I am afraid that would have put us down a very useful mind." He probably meant to sound kind, but it came off as a desperate "we really need you, so don't die yet."

Jane stood speechless, unsure of how to reply besides, "Thank you, sir, I'm... really glad to be here and not dead, too."

"Natasha will show you to your room in which you may reside in for the time being. I'm afraid you're going to have to be debriefed once you are settled in."

"Uh, Director?" Tony interrupted, after talking with one of the agents on something, "I don't think she's going to want that for a while... She's not exactly in the best state."

"Her input is necessary for our next plan of attack," Fury countered coldly.

Tony rolled his eyes, "Okay, look. Who knows what that son of a bitch had planned for her, she's just hardly able to cope with what is going on right now. Are you not looking at her?"

"Very well. It will have to wait until tomorrow, Stark," his one eye narrowed, glaring over to Tony, who stood equally as defiantly.

Jane looked to Tony and mouthed a "thank you" toward him, who winked back. She wasn't sure she would have been able to tell the Director "no" herself in repeating every moment that had happened back at Stark Tower. She was at a loss of most words at the moment, for everything came at her fast. The fact that the entire deck had at least passed a glance toward her at least once since the moment she came in. She couldn't tell why. It was not as if her face should be that well-known, besides the fact she had spent the past few weeks as prisoner to Loki.

Natasha walked toward the Director, and told him something, facing away from the small crowd of people who had gathered. When she was finished, she walked over to Jane, looking dejected. "Come with me," She said dully, walking her back out the door into various hallways of doors and laboratories, a steady amount of SHIELD agents walked both ways, knowing where to go. She lead her to one of very many doors which looked to be a sort of apartment. Natasha unlocked the door for Jane's next prison. Fortunately, this was not as bad as the room she left in Stark Tower.

There was a large window overlooking the bright clouds outside, a bed and another door that led bathroom. It was somewhat spacious with a homey look about it with the carpet and the comfortable-looking bed. There was a small table and counter area with a coffeepot and coffee and tea bags, complete with a small ice box. It was like staying in a hotel, she told herself... A hotel in the air, which she supposed was the purpose for the majority of the workers on board for the time being... at least until it all was over, in which case, if not careful, they would most likely find an untimely end had they stepped foot onto land. As were most of those who had ever dared defy Loki.

"The dining area is down the hall to the left and down four doors... you can't miss it. Dinner will be out in approximately two hours." Natasha said, and then pointed toward a cabinet, "And there are some clothes in there... Not necessarily the most stylish, but it will do until the next shipment of supplies." She explained shortly.

"Thanks," Jane breathed, almost relieved to find a sense of rest amongst her. "I think I'll just... sleep until they need me." She replied giving a thankful smile. Natasha nodded, and then turned to leave the room, leaving Jane on her lonesome once more.

Jane fell onto her bed, staring out of the window to the hazy sky. She knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep. Not yet, anyway. There was too much on her mind. After a few moments of relaxing, she stood up and walked over to the door. She needed to be reassured this was not just another prison to contain her. So, curious as to what this helicarrier had to offer, she exited her room to walk around and get her mind off of the events of the day.

"Jane! Jane Foster!" An all-too familiar gruff voice sounded from behind her the moment she stepped out of the room. She turned on her heel to see a semi-smiling Asgardian walking toward her steadily, his head held high. He wasn't dressed in normal clothes, but it wasn't exactly what she last saw him wearing. He wore a tunic of some strange material that felt soft but stiff at the same time. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before, and she supposed it was because it is Asgardian.

"You are safe!" He exclaimed, like a giant weight has been lifted off of his shoulders. She stood in disbelief as his brawny arms wrapped around her in an almost too-tight embrace.

She, for the first time in a very, very long time, felt safe in his arms. The curious stares of passing agents were, no doubt, wondering how a human could be so attached to someone from an entirely different planet... or realm. But she could care less. She felt beyond happy, for Thor was alright and he was safe, and... he probably had a very good reason for not coming to her rescue instead of Tony. Right?

"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you," She smiled up at him, leaning her chin into his muscled chest, but it did not reach her eyes. The next second, she found tears brimming over her eyes, and she looked down, barely able to wrap her arms around him.

"I owe you so much, Jane Foster... I could not save you. You have every single apology I could ever hope to give you but you must understand that it was in the interest of both of us. My brother threatened to harm you as well as myself had I came anywhere near him. I could not let him hurt you... He kept his word, yes? He did as he said?" He explained quickly, holding both of her shoulders gently, pulling her away from his chest so he could appraise her with his solemn blue eyes.

"He... he barely laid a hand on me..." She replied, meeting his eyes, trying to assure him. She ignored the fact that Loki insinuated things she would rather die than be apart of. She ignored the fact Loki scared the wits out of her. She ignored the fact her _bit_ her _neck_. She ignored his slapping her.

She felt herself being taken into yet another tight embrace.

"Jane, I swear he will never come near you again," he said in between kisses placed in her hair.

Her heart swelled with joy at his promise. The thought that she never would have to see Loki ever again pleased her to no end, but she knew it was impossible. Now that she was stolen from him, there is no doubt in her mind that Loki is doing everything in his power to concoct a plan on returning her to him. She was useful and he is much too possessive of his toys...

"Don't swear things you cannot keep, Thor," She reprimanded, reminding her of the last time he swore to return to her... which he did, but not in the most timely manner ever. It was understandable, however. He was a Prince, after all, and he had matters to take care of regarding his brother and the rest of the nine realms. She wouldn't know what happened between then and now that would have affected the timeliness of his second arrival.

He lost his glistening pride, and let go of her. "I apologize most sincerely. I could not have predicted what Loki had schemed upon my arrival back in Asgard, and if I had, I would not have made a promise I could not keep."

Jane smiled and shook her head, "I'm not that important, Thor. I knew you had business to take care of. You don't need to apologize."

"If only I could have foreseen Loki taking you. It was my idea for you to be placed under SHIELD's care in Colorado... Had I any idea it would have planned, you would have remained with me," He said, grabbing both of her arms to look at her as sincerely as ever, his blue eyes darkening.

Jane nodded, "I am alive, I am myself, and I have found you again. I could not have asked for a better turn of events," She reassured, reaching to grab one of his large hands, and squeezed it for emphasis.

She must admit, she had originally thought she would be bitter upon reuniting with him. She faced enough of Loki for a lifetime, and a small part of her was childishly disappointed that Thor couldn't stand against his own brother to free her, but Thor was wiser and knew his own brother and his capabilities far better than she could ever in her lifetime.

"Of course," he replied, giving a small, yet still charming, smile. It never reached his eyes.

She nodded again, "Look, I was just about to explore this place instead of being cooped up in my room again. If you're not too busy, could we... could we talk?" She asked, feeling ridiculous.

He seemed to weigh his options silently in his head for a moment. "The man of iron can wait... I do have a lot to explain to you, I assume. The ever curious Jane Foster," he let his arms drop off of her shoulders.

This time the smiling Thunder God from Asgard smiled with his brilliant eyes. She felt her heart flutter in the familiar way it did before all of this. Did that mean she felt something for him? What kind of girl wouldn't want to be enamored by a mysterious foreign, yet handsome man? Did that make her hone petty affections? The fact she was inevitably curious of his life, of every aspect of Asgard, of his relationship with his brother? No, there had to be something more there than the shallow exterior. Yet, perhaps that was a decision for another time. She would not impose affections to add as a burden on an already loaded down man.


	9. Author's Note

**Hello!**

**So I have began to re-work this fic, fixing grammatical errors, re-writing, and replacing parts so it would fit together into a more pleasing way. I am most definitely going to continue this story, I simply took a very long hiatus doing character studies and simply building my writing skills back up again. So I'm back and better than ever! Thank you to my ever-faithful followers and reviewers and I hope you all have not lost faith in me yet.**

**Keep your eyes out for an update within the next week as I continue to edit the other chapters and re-write the following chapter.**

**Much love,**

**The Phantom's Flutist**


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